
Class 
Book. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



FLOKIDA 



ITS HISTORY AJSTD ITS ROMAJSTCE 



THE OLDEST SETTLEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES, 
ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOST ROMANTIC EVENTS 
OF AMERICAN HISTORY, UNDER THE SPANISH, 
FRENCH, ENGLISH, AND AMERICAN FLAGS. 1497-1898 



/ BY 

GEORGE R FAIRBANKS, M.A.. Un. Coll., Thin. Coll. 




JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 

H. AND W. B. DREW COMPANY 

1898 



18384 



Copyright, 1898, by 
GEORGE K. FAIRHANKS 




2nd COPY. 
1898. 







f3\\ 



PREFACE 

The name of Florida is one of the oldest connected with the 
discovery of America. It appears on the earliest maps known, 
sometimes as a great island and sometimes as a headland. It 
was visited and taken possession of for the Spanish crown 
within twenty years of the first landing of Columhns at San 
Salvador, and is the oldest settled portion of the United States. 

As originally designated, it covered all the country from 
Cape Florida to the Chesapeake and westward to unknown 
limits. Its romantic and eventful history extends over a period 
of nearly four hundred years, emhracing as well expeditions 
for the discovery of gold and precious stones as for the propa- 
gation of the Christian faith among a savage nation, or as a 
refuge from religious persecution. 

Occupied hy colonies from the European countries at differ- 
ent times, it has been the scene of wars, massacres, and conten- 
tions between French, Spanish, English, and Americans, as 
well as continual conflicts with the savage races whicluonce 
inhabited it, a remnant of whom still remains within its 
southern borders. 

To present the leading events of this long period up to the 



vi PREFACE 

present time in a clear and succinct manner has been the aim 
of the author — a difficult achievement because conciseness is 
more laborious than enlargement ; but as this work is largely 
designed for the edification of the young as well as the general 
reader, it was necessary that it should be limited in space and 
simple in style. 

The present work emljraces events occurring over a much 
larger area of country than is now embraced in the State of 
Florida, but tliese events belong properly to the history of 
Florida as it was tlien known. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I (1513) 

PAGE 

How Floi'ida was discovered — Ponce de Leon's search for the Foun- 
tain of Youtli — His hunt for Biniini — Landing on the eastern 
coast of Florida near St. Augustine — His adventures and tragic 
death 1 

CHAPTER II (1520) 

The slave-hunting expedition of Vasquez d'Ayllon, and voyages of 

Miruelo, De Cordova, and Alaminos, seeking for gold in Florida 8 

CHAPTER III (1527) 

Panfilo de Narvaez's niarcli through Florida from Cle^r Water Bay to 

Appalacheo . .14 

CHAPTER IV (1528) 

How Narvaez and his men undertook to reach Mexico in boats — Their 
adventures and final shipwreck near the mouth of the Mississippi 
— Loss of nearly all the party 19 

CHAPTER V (1528-38) 

Story of the remarkalde adventures of Cabeca de Vaca — How he be- 
came a great medicine man — The peculiar customs of the In- 
dians — His eventual escape with three others, and arrival in 
Mexico 25 

CHAPTER VI 

The strange attraction Florida had for adventurers — Tlie stories told 

of its riches and advantages ... 1 ... 30 



viii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER VII (1539) 

TACJE 

Tlie story of how the famous cavalier, Hernando de Soto, undertook 
the conquest of Florida — His landing at Tampa Bay — The 
romantic story of Juan Ortiz ....... 33 



CHAPTER VIII (1539) 

De Soto's march through East Florida— Battles with the Indians — 

Arrival in Middle Florida 40 



CHAPTER IX (1540) 

The Battle of Mauvilla — Loss of their pearls and baggage — Maldo- 
nado's arrival at Ochusi concealed from his troops, and De Soto 
decides to continue the expedition — He crosses the Mississippi 
— His death and burial — The Spaniards build boats and reach 
Mexico 45 

CHAPTER X (11539-42) 

Route of De Soto's expedition through Florida and his subsequent 
journey to the Mississippi River 53 

CHAPTER XI (1549-60) 

An account of some other expeditions to Florida — The martyrdom 
of Franciscan missionaries — Don Tristan de Luna's march into 
Alabama and Tennessee 57 

■ CHAPTER XII (1562) 

The coming of French Huguenots to Florida under Ribaut — The 
settlement at Port Royal and its desertion — Escape of the col- 
onists to France 61 

CHAPTER XIII (1564) 

The second French Huguenot expedition to Florida under Rene de 
Laudonniere — The building of Fort Caroline on the St. John's 
River — Incidents and adventures of the French — The arrival of 
an English fleet under Sir John Hawkins . . . . .65 



CONTENTS ix 

CHAPTER XIV (1565) 

PAGE 

The French expedition under Ribaut, sent by Coligny, to relieve Fort 
Caroline — Simultaneous Spanish expedition under Menendez to 
expel the Huguenots from Florida — Capture of Fort Caroline by 
Menendez, and massacre of the Huguenot garrison . . .74 

CHAPTER XV (1565) 

Shipwreck of Ribaut's vessels on the coast of Florida — Ribaut and 
his companions escape with their lives, and are massacred in 
cold blood by Menendez 83 

CHAPTER XVI (1565-67) 

The troubles which beset Menendez in founding his colony— Mutinies 
in every quarter — Explorations made, and forts and missions 
established — Some priests murdered 89 

CHAPTER XVII (1567) 

The notable revenge executed by the French captain, Dominic de 
Gourguos, on the Spaniards in Florida, to avenge the massacre 
of the Huguenots at Fort Caroline and Matanzas . . .94 

CHAPTER XVIII (1567) 

How De Gourgues captured the Spanish forts on the St. John's River 
and hung the prisoners, " not as Spaniards, but traitors, tliicves, 
and murdei'ers " 99 

CHAPTER XIX (1567-91) 

Menendez returns to Florida — Sir Francis Drake makes an attack 
upon St. Augustine — The story of missions among tJie Indians, 
and massacre of the missionaries ........ 106 

CHAPTER XX (1663-96) 

Settlement of Carolina, and French exploration of the Mississippi — 
Collisions between tlie English and Spanish settlements— Pensa- 
cola settled by the Spaniards and Mobile by the French . .114 



X CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXI (1702-4) 

PAGE 

Governor Moore, of South Carolina, makes an attack upon St. Augus- 
tine—Afterwards overruns much of Middle Florida, destroying 
Spanish posts and Indian missions ...... 120 

CHAPTER XXII (1719) 

Pensacola captured by the French — Regained by the Spaniards, and 

recaptured by the French 137 

CHAPTER XXIII (1740) 
Siege of St. Augustine by Oglethorpe 133 

CHAPTER XXIY (1742) 

Governor Monteano's attack upon Oglethorpe at St. Simon's Island — 

The signal victory achieved by Oglethorpe over the Spaniards . 144 

CHAPTER XXV (1763-70) 

The English occupation of Florida— Dr. TurnbuU's colony of Greeks 
and Minorcans at New Smyrna — Governor Grant's administra- 
tion . . .149 

CHAPTER XXVI (1776-81) 

Florida during the Revolutionary War — Burning of Hancock and 
Adams in effigy upon the public square in St. Augustine — Lead- 
ing citizens of South Carolina sent to St. Augustine as prisoners 
of war — The Spaniards capture Pensacola from the English . 158 

CHAPTER XXVII (1783-1817) 

Reoccupation of the Floridas by Spain — Transfer to France of all 
West Florida beyond the Perdido — Cession of Louisiana — Pa- 
triot invasion of Florida with the LTnited States troops in 1812- 
13 — General Newnan's invasion of Alachua and defeat — Gen- 
eral Clinch's destruction of the negro fort — General Jackson's 
capture of Pensacola, and war upon the Seminoles . . . 164 



CONTENTS xi 

CHAPTER XXVIII (1821-36) 

PAGE 

Florida becomes a Territory ol: tiie United States — Civil organiza- 
tion — Condition of the Indians — Treaty of Fort Moultrie — 
Treaty of Payne's Landing — Collision between the races — Story 
of Dade's massacre, and beginning of the Florida Seminole War 173 



CHAPTER XXIX (1836-40) 

Continuation of the Indian war under Generals Scott, Jesup, and 
Taylor — Battle of Withlacoochee — Okeechobee — General Ma- 
comb's failure — Killing of Dr. Perrine on Indian Key . . . 183 



CHAPTER XXX (1840-42) 

-Continuation of the Florida war — General Worth appointed to the 
command — Vigorous prosecution of the war — Capture of Coa- 
coochee — Surrender of the Indians, and close of the war . . 192 



CHAPTER XXXI (1842-57) 

Recuperation of Florida — Tlie admission of Florida as a State — Or- 
ganization of a State government — Grants of lands to Florida — 
Charters to and construction of railroads ..... 201 



CHAPTER XXXII (1857-Gl) 

The secession of Florida — Occupation of the United States forts and 
arsenal — Seizure of the navy yard at Pensaeola — Hostilities at 
Pensacola — Fernandina, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville taken 
possession of by Union troops 206 



CHAPTER XXXIII (1864-65) 

The attempted military occupation of northern Florida by General 
Seymour — Battle of Olustee — Defeat of Seymour — Federal attack 
on Gainesville, and capture of Union troops by Dickison — Battle 
of Natural Bridge — Florida troops in Virginia and Tennessee . 314 



xii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXXIV (1865-75) 

PAGE 

After the war — Reconstruction — Constitutional convention — New con- 
stitution adopted — State government set aside — Florida part of a 
military district — A newer constitution — Political events . . 222 



CHAPTER XXXV (1875-90) 

End of the reconstruction period — Florida's presidential vote hangs 
in the balance — Rapid increase in the construction of railroads 
— Increase of population 228 



CHAPTER XXXVI (1890-98) 

Increase of popnlation — Building of great hotels — Discovery of phos- 
pliate deposits — Growth of the orange industry — The destructive 
freezes of 1894 and 1895 — Financial condition — Public schools, 
colleges, and seminaries — Statistics of population . . . 2;J1 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Ribaut's Column at the Mouth of the St. John's River Fr 
Portrait of G. R. Fairbanks .... 
Indian Princess saving the Life of Juan Ortiz 
Portrait of Hernando De Soto 

Burial of De Soto 

Route of De Soto's Expedition 
Portrait of Pedro Menendez .... 
Sir Francis Drake's Attack on St. Augustine 
Portrait of General. Oglethorpe 
Oglethorpe's Fleet before St. Augustine 

Osceola 

Billy Bowlegs 

Coacoochee 

Capt. J. J. Dickison, the Marion of Florida 



PAGE 

ontisj)iece 



XVI 

37 

41 

49 

53 

77 

100 

135 

139 

177 

193 

197 

219 




-*<<^ 




^ar nxi ruJiAUU ^ujtc Xu 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 



CHAPTER I 

How Florida was discovered — Ponce de Leon's search for the Fountain of 
Youth — liis luint for Biniini — Landing on tlie eastern coast of Florida 
near St. Augustine — His adventures and tragic death. 

A.D. 1513 

If Columbus had held a course due west from Spain, he 
would have come upon the coast of North America near Nor- 
folk, and perhaps have entered Chesapeake Bay ; or, had he 
sailed directly west from the Canary Islands, he would have 
reached the continent on the eastern coast of Florida, at a dis- 
tance of some three thousand six hundred miles ; but, as it 
turned out, the first land he reached was the small island now 
called Watling's, about four hundred miles east of Florida; and, 
as he sailed south from there, he never reached the mainland at 
all. The English claim that Sebastian Cabot, in the year 1497, 
sailing under the English flag, was the first to discover the coast 
of Florida, but it is doubtful whether he sailed further south 
than Cape Hatteras, and he never set foot anywhere upon the 
shore.* The generally received opinion confers the honor of 
being the discoverer of Florida upon Juan Ponce de Leon, in 
the year 1513. The origin of the expedition, and the romantic 

* There is reason to believe that Pinzon and Americus Vespucius sailed 
around the coast of Florida in 1498. 



2 EISTOBY OF FLORIDA 

object for which it was undertaken, have associated Florida as 
the Land of Flowers with the Fountain of Youth, so long em- 
balmed in ancient fable. Ponce de Leon was a native of the 
province or kingdom of Leon, as it was then called. He served 
as a page to Nuiiez de Guzman, a man of distinction, and, while 
a mere youth, was actively engaged in the war waged by Ferdi- 
nand and Isabella against the Moors of Granada. Thus, well 
trained in the school of war, he no doubt eagerly sought new 
fields of adventure, and, having heard the marvelous reports of 
the discovery of the Indies by Columbus, he gladly embraced 
the opportunity of going with him on his second voyage. His 
valor and sagacity in fighting the Indians after arriving in the 
islands, soon brought him into notice, and he was made second 
in command in the campaign against Higuey, and, having 
achieved success, he was made lieutenant-governor of Hispa- 
niola. He was of too ambitious and restless a disposition to 
remain idle, and seeing, a few leagues ofP, the beautiful island of 
Puerto Rico, which was reported to contain gold, and inhabited 
by a tribe of simple natives, he organized an expedition for its 
subjugation, and had himself appointed governor of that island. 
The native islanders thought the Spaniards were supernatural 
beings, and not mortals like themselves. Being treated with 
great harshness and cruelty l^y the Spaniards, they sought deliv- 
erance in some way. One of their chiefs, more intelligent than 
the rest, and less credulous, proposed to test the question 
whether the white men were subject to death, and, with some of 
his followers, seized a Spaniard while crossing a stream and held 
him under the water until he ceased to struggle, and then laid 
him on the shore, offering him the most profuse apologies for 
the accident, and then waited to see if he would wake up; but, 
getting no response, and having watched the body for three 
days, they, concluded that a Spaniard was mortal like them- 
selves. They made a spirited attack upon their oppressors, 
but, losing their leader, were dcfenlcd l)y the su])eri()r skill in 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 3 

the use of arms of Ponce de Leon's soldiers, although few in 
numbers. 

Ponce de Leon was, however, soon suspended in his govern- 
ment, but in the mean time had availed himself of his oppor- 
tunities for the acquisition of considerable wealth, and was now 
eager again to enter upon some new enterprise from which he 
miglit derive fame and fortune. It was a period when new dis- 
coveries were eagerly sought for, but there were so many of 
these soldiers of fortune seeking adventures in new fields that 
it was not easy to find a new path to discovery. However, 
clumce favored the brave soldier. Some old Indians told him 
of a country which abounded in gold and pearls, and which, 
moreover, possessed a wonderful stream, the waters of which 
were gifted with the power of conferring upon those who should 
liathe in them the freshness of youth and full restoration of all 
their former strength and vigor ; that some of their people had 
gone there, and were so well satisfied that they had never re- 
turned. This enticing description appealed to Ponce de Leon in 
many ways, especially in exciting that craving for gold which 
was felt so strongly by all adventurers, and, moreover, as he was 
growing in years and declining in strength, nothing could be 
more agreeable to him than the prospect of recovering his lost 
youth and vigor, while to these potent reasons was added the 
expectation of the honor that would crown the happy discoverer 
of this wonderful land, and which would exceed that of all his 
predecessors in the field of discovery. 

He had acquired some degree of wealth in his public em- 
ployment, and was thus enabled to equip three vessels for his 
expedition. He easily obtained followers to accompany him, 
as credulity lent a willing ear to the marvelous story. This 
is not surprising, as the real wonders of the new world were 
often as remarkable as any which were invented. The Indians 
had described this fairyland as existing to the north, but that 
he might not be discouraged, they also located a fountain of 



4 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

similar wonderful powers on one of the Bahamas, which they 
called Bimini ; so that if he failed to find the one, he would be 
encouraged to seek for the other. 

In the spring of 1513 Ponce de Leon sailed from Puerto 
Eico with his three vessels, and, coasting along the neighboring 
islands of Hispaniola, laid his course northward to the Bahama 
Islands, seeking for directions to find the Fountain of Youth; 
but no one could tell him of its location or even seemed to 
know of its existence, more appearing to be known about it 
at a distance than where it was reported to exist. As he was un- 
able to find Bimini, he determined to seek the more distant 
land, which had been described to him as containing gold as 
Avell as this wonderful stream. He was, no doubt, told of the 
neigliboring coast of Florida, lying so near the western islands 
of the Lucayan group, and doubtless well known to their inhab- 
itants. Bearing to the northwest, on the 27th of March, 1513, 
he descried land on the eastern coast of Florida, and coasted 
along the supposed island until April 2d, when he landed 
near St. Augustine. Following the usual custom of the times 
in bestowing names, having come upon the coast on Palm Sun- 
day (Pascua Florida), he called it Florida. He landed with 
his principal officers, planted a cross, threw the royal banner 
of Spain to the breeze, and, standing around it, all swore alle- 
giance to the crown, and formal possession was taken of the 
land in the name of the king of Spain. The natives told him 
their country was called Cautio. He had reached, as he sup- 
posed, the land of which such glowing reports had been given 
him. It was, no doubt, a pleasant land, with its evergreen 
verdure, its stately pines, its streams, flowers, vines, and the 
sweet music of its singing birds; but he was in search of other 
things on which his heart was set. He had, for the most part, 
found the natives of the new world simple and submissive, but 
the people he now encountered were fierce and intractable. 
He found no guides to hidden treasures, no invitation to visit 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 5 

the wonderful fountain. In vain he moved along the coast ; in 
vain he landed here and there, hoping for some verification 
of the stories which had sent him there. Discouraged at last 
at this want of success, he turned homeward, and after a long 
and dangerous voyage, with torn sails and battered ships, he 
returned to Puerto Rico a good deal poorer and some older than 
when he started. On his way back he came across an old wo- 
man, the only inhabitant of a small island, who said she could 
guide him to Bimini. He sent a trusty officer in one of his 
vessels with the old crone as a guide. She directed him to an 
island she called Bimini, which he reported as a pleasant island, 
but possessing no fountain of youth. Not to lose the credit of 
his discovery, he soon after went to Spain, and made a report 
-of the new lands he had discovered. The story of his fanciful 
expedition in quest of the fountain had already reached Spain, 
and he was quizzed not a little about it by the wits on his ar- 
rival. The shrewd old soldier, however, so told his tale, en- 
hancing, no doubt, the value of his discoveries and supported 
by his well-founded reputation, that he was graciously received 
by the king, and was honored with the lofty title of Adelantado 
of Bimini and Florida, with permission to secure in the colonies 
of Spain recruits for establishing settlements in his new govern- 
ment. 

Difticulties having arisen with the Indians on the islands, 
he was assigned l^y the king to the command of a considerable 
force to put down the native inhabitants. Having landed a 
party on one of the islands, and not exercising his usual cau- 
tion, he was set upon by the Indians. Many were killed, and all 
the women carried off. Failing of success in these operations, 
he retired to Puerto Rico, where he remained several years, rest- 
less, morose, and unpopular. 

In the mean tim.e the report of Cortez's brilliant exploits 
in Mexico liad set him again aflame for new expeditions. His 
ambition and avarice were again aroused, and he looked for- 



G HISTORY OF FLOE IDA 

ward with renewed hope, not to finding tlie Fountain of Youtli, 
but to founding an empire which should give him untold wealth 
and fame. 

During the year 1531 he made arrangements for another 
expedition to Florida, fitting out two vessels at his own expense 
and sinking his entire fortune in the enterprise. He reached 
Florida after battling with severe gales, and landed in a bay 
north of Cape Sable, on the Grulf coast, long known as Juan 
Ponce de Leon Bay. He went on shore in state as the adelan- 
tado of Florida, but the natives attacked his force with fierce- 
ness and impetuosity, killing a large number of Spaniards and 
severely wounding Ponce de Leon himself, forcing a precipitate 
retreat to their vessels. On their return they landed on an 
island where they secured a large number of turtles, and gave 
it the name of Tortugas, which it has ever since borne. 

The brave old soldier, grievously wounded, sick at heart, 
and doubtless depressed at the apparent ill fortune which 
seemed to attend all the enterprises of his declining years, suc- 
cumbed to the winds of fortune, abandoned the shores of Flor- 
ida and all the high expecta^'ions which he had formed of pros- 
pective honors, and took refuge in Cuba, and a few days after 
his return passed away, honored and regretted by many who 
had known the bold and adventurous cavalier in his earlier 
years. 

Of all the historic names associated with Florida's long his- 
tory, De Soto alone perhaps excepted, the name of Juan Ponce 
de Leon stands out more prominently than any other. The 
romantic character of his expedition has won for him a name 
and remembrance which the real importance of anything he 
attempted or accomplished in that or in any other quarter 
would have failed to give him So true it is that the folly or 
credulity of mankind often makes more impression on the mind 
than distinguished virtues or noble actions. 

It would no doubt have greatly solaced Ponce de Leon in 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 7 

liis last sad days ccnild he have known of the magnificent world- 
renowned hostelry, named after him in the old city, near the 
spot where he first set foot on shore, and of the many other 
localities hearing his name in different portions of that Florida 
for the discovery of which posterity has given him due credit 
and honor. 

\Yas there, then, no foundation for this widespread belief 
in some health-gifted spring or fountain of youth, which wise 
men, as well as unwise men, believed to exist somewhere to the 
north of the West India Islands? If Ponce de Leon could have 
found them, might not the fabled fountain have claimed a real- 
ization in some of the remarkably beautiful springs with which 
we are now familiar in various parts of Florida ? Who that has 
CA'er floated on the briglit waters of Silver Spring or on the 
bosom of the Wakulla has not felt his pulse thrill with delight 
at the almost unreal character of the waters, so pellucid that 
one seems suspended in midair, the shadows from the skies 
above resting in varied beauty in its depths, while the bright 
sunlight flecks the rocks below with rays of dazzling brightness, 
an azure tinge encircling every object and surrounding it with 
a halo of purple light ? It would not be strange that they 
should be deemed to possess a rejuvenating elixir, and promise 
to those who would dwell by their banks and disport in their 
waters a restoration of youth, vigor, and energy. 

Some embellished tale of the beautifying powers of these 
lovely fountains in Florida may well have been carried from 
the shores of Florida to the adjoining group of islands, and 
hence become a common belief of more distant peoples. 



CHAPTER II 

The slave-hunting expedition of Vasquez d'Ayllon, and voyages of 
Miruelo, De Cordova, and Alaminos, seeking for gold in Florida. 

A.D. 1520 

Shortly after Ponce de Leon's return from his first expedi- 
tion, several voyages were made to the coast of Florida. Al- 
though Florida, having been traversed only on its Atlantic and 
Gulf coasts, was supposed to be a very large island, yet there 
was so much that was indefinite and uncertain as to its ex- 
tent, productions, and people that for a long time afterwards 
the whole region extending north from Cape Florida to the 
Chesapeake Bay, west to unknown limits, was all called 
Florida. 

In 1516, Diego Miruelo, a pilot, went over from Cuba to Flor- 
ida, carrying trinkets and other things to trade with the natives 
on the coast. He obtained some pieces of gold, but did not 
go back from the coast, and soon returned to Cuba with an ac- 
count of the richness of the country and the neighboring 
islands, which stirred up quite a fever for going to Florida. 

•In the following year an expedition returning from New 
Spain and Mexico, en route to Cuba, under the command of 
Fernando de Cordova, landed in Ponce de Leon Bay for the 
purpose of procuring water and repairing their vessels. Having 
posted two sentinels, they were filling their water-casks when 
the alarm of the approach of the Indians was given, and was 
immediately followed by an onslaught of a large body of 
natives, one body of whom captured their boat, overpowering 
and wounding Cordova and those left on board, while those 
on shore being in larger force and well armed, routed the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA y 

natives, killing twenty-two of their number and making prison- 
ers of two, and also recovering their boat with their wounded 
comrades. 

The Indians, however, captured one of their sentinels, who 
was carried off into eaptivit}'. One of the Spanish soldiers is 
said to have swelled up and died from drinking too much 
water. The expedition passed on to Havana, where Cordova 
died in a few days of the wounds he had received at the hands of 
the Indians. Alaminos, who was the pilot of Cordova's vessel, 
gave a flattering account of what he had seen in Mexico and 
Florida to France de Garay, governor of Jamaica, who was both 
rich and influential, and persuaded him that it would be a good 
thing to obtain from the king of Spain the oflice of adelantado 
-of the rivers Pedro and St. Paul in Mexico, and of whatever 
parts he might discover in that quarter, assuring the governor 
of the acquisition of rich and extensive countries. De Garay 
was induced to assist Alaminos, who, with three vessels, first 
sailed along the Gulf coast of Florida, landing twice, but was 
each time driven off' by the Indians. He then continued along 
the Gulf coast westward to Panuco, in Mexico, thus establishing 
the northerly shore line of the Gulf of Mexico, and demonstrat- 
ing that Florida was not an island, but an unexplored mainland, 
stretching northward to unknown limits. 

A much more interesting expedition was set on foot the fol- 
lowing year, 1520, by Lucas Vasquez d'Ayllon, an officer of 
some distinction, who had been in San Domingo many years. 
He, with six associates, was engaged in gold mines which were 
worked by natives, and oppression and cruelty having killed off 
large numbers, he planned a descent upon the Lucayan Islands 
in order to obtain others to replace them. 

The government of Spain, under the influence of Las Casas, 
had undertaken to protect the natives of the new world from the 
oppression and avarice of the colonists, but the Caribs (the un- 
subdued islanders) were held to be cannibals and without the 



10 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

pale of the laws. Under the pretence of seeking only to enslave 
Caribs^ two vessels were fitted out and several unsuccessful 
forays were made, hut failing to entrap the Indians of the Lu- 
eayan Islands, D'Ayllon passed onward to the north, and landed 
on the coast of South Carolina in a province called Chicora. 

Of this wonderful land two remarkable things were related 
with much gravity by the ancient chronicler. It was reported 
he said that the royal family of Xapida, a neighboring prov- 
ince, were all giants, and were made so artificially after this 
manner : While in tender infancy certain Indian medicine men 
took the young princes and princesses and softened their bones 
like wax with plasters made of certain herbs, until they ap- 
peared almost lifeless. The nurses who suckled the children 
were fed with very nutritious food. After some days the medi- 
cine men returned and stretched the bones of the infants, and 
did the same to the nurses, until by repeated application of the 
stretching process the children grew in stature as large as they 
desired them to be. Another remarkable thing which the 
Spaniards learned on this expedition was the existence of a 
race of beings with tails like horses, which they whisked about 
with great vigor. These singular people lived on raw fish, 
which probably accounted for the caudal appendage. The 
Spaiiish historian refers in this connection to a legend of 
some vile fellows who, in order to insult St. Thomas a-Becket at 
Canterl)ury, cut ofl' the tails of his horses, and were punished 
by the growth of similar appendages on their own persons. 

D'Ayllon landed at various points, and encountering people 
more kindly disposed than those of the more southern portions 
of the coast, was received with much kindness. By gifts and 
artifice he enticed one hundred and thirty on board his vessels, 
and, under pretence of showing them what was below, induced 
them to go into the hold, battened down the hatches, and set 
sail for Hispaniola. So sudden and treacherous an act aroused 
tlie fierce indignation of his captives and their friends on shore. 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA U 

No kindness or attention afterwards could reconcile the Indians 
to tlieir captivity, and nothing could divert the minds of these 
})roud and high-spirited sons of Chicora from tlieir grief and 
deep despair. One of the vessels foundered at sea, going down 
with all on board, captives and captors, to a common death. The 
other reached Hispaniola; but D'Ayllon came under severe cen- 
sure for the artifice which had been employed to entrap these 
poor natives of Chicora. The final result of the expedition 
is thus briefly and simply told by the old Spanish historian: 
''And the Indians profited them in no wise, because they nearly 
all died of vexation and grief." 

But still intent on following up his adventure, D'Ayllon went 
to Spain, carrying with him a native youth of Chicora, who had 
been instructed and baptized under the name of Francisco. 
Presenting himself at court, he made the relation of his expedi- 
tion as favorable to himself as he could, exhibiting his Indian 
convert, Francisco, in order to enlist the sympathy of the eccle- 
siastics, describing the country no doubt in flattering colors, 
and asked for the privilege of its conquest and settlement. This 
was readily granted, and he was created a Knight of the Order 
of St. lago. 

He returned to St. Domingo, but it was three years before 
he was prepared to renew his expedition. He then dispatched 
two vessels to begin the exploration of that portion of the main- 
land embraced within his contract, which was to occupy the 
lands from the 25th to the 37th degrees of north latitude. These 
vessels soon returned, bringing specimens of gold, silver, and 
pearls, and with so favorable a report of the country they had 
visited, that D'Ayllon determined to set out at once and take 
possession of his province of Chicora. 

He refitted the two vessels which had just returned, and, 
adding a third, again set sail and safely reached the coast of 
South Carolina. Choosing a favorable spot for landing, with 
the purpose of establishing a settlement, he disembarked and 



12 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

was received by the natives with affected cordiality and pleas- 
ure, and this was carried to such an extent as to disarm him of 
all suspicion. He at once concluded that he would have no diffi- 
culty in obtaining possession of the country. For the purpose 
of exploring the interior he sent a party of two hundred men, 
upon the invitation of the Indian chiefs, to visit a town a day's 
journey from the coast. The party was hospitably entertained — 
everything was done for their diversion; they were feasted upon 
the choicest game and most delicious esculents, indeed treated 
as honored guests — and for four days enjoyed a continual 
round of feasting. All precautions were gradually neglected, 
and they surrendered themselves unreservedly to the care of 
their new friends. On the fourth night, after much feasting, 
they had yielded to peaceful and profound slumber. The op- 
portunity for revenge the people of Chicora had been wait- 
ing for had at last come, and in the dead of night they crept 
upon their unsuspecting guests and simultaneously buried their 
hatchets in their brains, not one being spared to carry the tale 
to D'Ayllon. All were killed. 

Eeeking with vengeance, the Indians hastened to the shore, 
where D'Ayllon had remained, and attacked his men with great 
violence. Defending themselves as best they could, the Span- 
iards retreated to their vessels, but D'Ayllon was left among the 
slain. The ships having waited a reasonable time for news of 
the return of their comrades, and no tidings reaching them, 
and no longer doubting of their fate, hoisted their sails and 
returned to Hispaniola, bearing the startling tidings of Chi- 
cora's vengeance for the duplicity and treachery of D'Ayllon. 

The son of D'Ayllon sought of the Spanish crown a renewal 
of the grant which had been made to his father, which was ac- 
corded him, but, being unable to equip an expedition, he died in 
Spain, it is said, of melancholy in consequence of his disappoint- 
ment. 

Chicora is supposed to have been in the neighborhood of 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 13 

Beaufort, S. C. About this period, Verazzano, an Italian 
navigator in the French service, came upon the coast of North 
Carolina in about latitude 35 degrees, landed at various points 
as he coasted northward as far as Cape Cod, and returned 
to France, where he made a brief report of the country, the 
manners and customs of the Indians. He made a second voyage 
to America, from which he never returned, and was never heard 
from, having probably perished at sea. 



CHAPTER III 

Panfllo de Narvaez's inarch througli Florida from Clear Water Bay to 

Appalachee. 

A.D. 1527 

Panfilo de Narvaez, after a futile attempt to supersede 
Hernando Cortez in Mexico, undertook on his own account an 
expedition aiming to reach the northern jjortion of Mexico 
hy a hind route through Florida. In the unsettled knowledge of 
the extent and boundaries of the Gulf of Mexico, he had become 
possessed with the idea that Panuco, near Tampico in Mexico, 
could he reached by crossing over to Florida and marching west- 
ward a few hundred leagues. 

He secured from the king of Sj^ain the appointment of ade- 
lantado (governor) of Florida, with power to occupy and govern 
all the country between Cape Florida and the Eiver of Palms, 
which entered the Gulf of Mexico near the present city of 
Tampico. 

He sailed from the port of San Lucar in Spain in June, 
1527, with five vessels, carrying six hundred men, and landed 
in Hispaniola (Hayti) to refit his fleet, and lost two vessels with 
their crews, which he had sent to Trinidad for provisions. He 
was thus detained until April, 1528, wdien, having procured 
other vessels, he embarked wdth a force of four hundred men 
and eighty horses, having as pilot Miruelo, wdio claimed to be 
familiar with the coast. Sailing westward and then north along 
the west coast of Florida, they entered a bay conjectured to have 
been Clear Water Bay, just north of Tampa Bay, then called 
Espiritu Santo Bay. On Good Friday, a day of bad omen for 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 15 

the expedition, they landed, planted the royal standard, and 
took formal possession of the country for the Spanish king, and 
named the bay the Bay of the Holy Cross. At the head of the 
bay they discovered an Indian town, the central house of which 
was large enough to hold three hundred people. The natives 
received them in a friendly way, but indicated by signs that 
they wished them to leave. 

Narvaez deciding not to make any settlement here, de- 
termined to march to a much better country, which Miruelo had 
described. Some Indians had by signs told him that there was 
a rich province called Appalachee to the northward, where he 
would find plenty of gold. He disembarked three hundred men 
and the forty horses remaining alive, leaving on board the ships 
one hundred men. He intended marching northward along the 
coast, and have the vessels coast along so as to be in occasional 
communication with his force on land. 

The land portion of the expedition began their march poorly 
provisioned, carrying only two pounds of bread and half a 
pound of meat per man, but they expected to secure provisions 
from the Indians as they proceeded on their march. Narvaez 
had a most indefinite idea of his destination or of the distance 
he would have to travel to reach it. Through the geographical 
ignorance of the times, he thought he could reach Panuco, in 
the vicinity of Tampico in Mexico, in a few days, when in fact it 
was 1,500 miles distance l)y land. They marched fifteen days 
without encountering a habitation or a human being. They 
then came to a river, on the banks of which they met a large 
body of friendly Indians, who conducted them to their village 
near by. A small party went to the coast to look for the ships, 
but found no signs of them. Eesuming their march after pro- 
curing some provisions from the Indians, they afterward crossed 
a river of considerable size and rapid current, which must have 
been the Suwanee River. 

They encountered afterwards unfriendly savages, who oh- 



16 niSTORY OF FLORIDA 

structed their march with fallen timber. Seven clays after leav- 
ing the river they reached the Appalachian country, where they 
had anticipated finding gold and a rich, well-peopled country 
like Mexico. They found Appalachee to he only an Indian vil- 
lage of forty or fifty houses, and no indications of gold. The 
country they had passed through was well wooded, with numer- 
ous lakes, and the country was said to abound in deer, rabbits, 
horses, bears, lions, and kangaroos. The town was situated on 
a lake, and there was another village across the lake. This lake 
may have been Lake La Fayette or Miccosukee. 

He remained at this town about a month, consuming the pro- 
visions of the Indians, who waged a constant war with their 
unwelcome visitors until they were persuaded to move on to 
a place on the coast called Ante, where the Indians told them 
they would find provisions as well as fish in abundance. On 
their march they were constantly beset by the Indians, who 
attacked them from every covert and eluded all pursuit. So 
skillful were the Indians in the use of the bow, it was said 
they could send an arrow clear through a good-sized tree, and 
wielded bows eight feet in length. 

After several days' march Narvaez came to Ante, the Indians 
having burned their houses and fled on the approach of the 
Spaniards. On their march they crossed a river they called 
Magdalena, and which was probably the Ocklocknee. Ante 
was one day's march from the sea, and was probably on Appa- 
lachicola Bay. 

Although they found the town destroyed, they were able to 
procure an abundant supply of fish and oysters, but they were 
not allowed to rest in peace ; whenever they left camp they were 
waylaid on every hand. LTnaccustomed to such food and in 
constant apprehension of assault by the natives, and being unac- 
climated, they were now, in the month of August, the victims of 
fever. 

The alluring hopes which had led them on to Appalachee and 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 17 

tlicnco to Ante, had now no further basis to rest upon. The 
yohl and abundance which was to reward them at Appalachee 
had nc^t been found, and the plenty they were to find at Ante 
had vanislied. Tlieir dreams of the conquest and spoils of bar- 
barous and wealthy peoples, like those of Mexico and Peru, were 
miseraldy dissipated. Tliey had now reached a condition of 
mind with no hope but of self-preservation, and no desire except 
to leave the country. The vessels they had left behind them 
they had never heard of more; sickness was daily thinning their 
ranks and lessening their strength to proceed further or even 
to defend themselves where they were. They were alike desti- 
tute of resources for remaining on or leaving these fated shores. 

Narvaez now found himself cut ofl' from any knowledge by 
his countrymen as to his whereabouts. Hemmed in by cruel 
and relentless foes, faint with sickness and depressed by disap- 
pointment, a miserable, defeated, and helpless man, utterly 
dis})irited, he called a council of his officers to consider how 
they could escape from the country before they all perished of 
disease and hunger. If they undertook to retrace their steps they 
had no way to obtain supplies on their journey or vessels to re- 
ceive them. They knew that Mexico lay somewhere to the west 
of them, and they imagined that they could reach there in a 
comparatively short time. They believed that they were nearer 
to Mexico than to Cuba, and felt unable to proceed further by 
land. They decided that it would be best to build boats and 
endeavor to coast along the shore until they reached Mexico. 
'I'heir means of construction were very limited. There was 
tindjer at hand, and that was all; but necessity is well said to be 
the mother of invention, and they had the energy of despera- 
tion. A smith of the company said he could make bellows from 
deerskin, and would forge the necessary bolts, nails, and neces- 
sary iron work from their swords, arms, and equipments. 

Some cut timber and hewed it into shape, the smith forged 
the nails and bolts, others gathered palmettoes and beat out fiber 



18 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

as a substitute for tow for caulking tlie seams, and they made 
tar to jiitch the seams from the })ine knots. Such was the en- 
ergy with which they worked, that with hut one single car- 
penter to direct the work, they completed within six weeks five 
boats one hundred feet in length. They made cordage from the 
fiber of the palmetto and from the manes and tails of the 
horses. The sails they made from their shirts, and out of the 
hides of their horses they made bottles for carrying water. 
During their stay at Aute ten men were killed while out seek- 
ing provisions, and forty had died from disease since they began 
their journey. 



CHAPTEK IV 

How Niirviiez ami liis men undertook lo reucli Mexico in boats — Tlieir 
adventures and final shipwreck near the uioutli of tlie Mississippi — 
Loss of nearly all the party. 

A.D. 1528 

Having finally completed their preparations for the voyage, 
Narvaez and his companions embarked on these frail boats 
on the 22d of September. After the provisions and clothing 
had ])een jnit on board, the gunwales of the boats were scarcely 
six inches out of water, and the men were so crowded that they 
could hardly move, each boat containing about forty-eight per- 
sons. They could hardly have selected a worse time for begin- 
ning their voyage, Septendjer being usually a stormy season at 
sea in these latitudes. It was, indeed, a most desperate under- 
taking for these two hundred and forty sick and downhearted 
men to launch upon a stormy sea, none being sailors, and but 
scantily provisioned, in "wretched, hastily built boats of unsea- 
soned materials, loaded to the gunwales and open to every swell 
of the waves. They called the bay upon which they launched 
ilieir boats the Bay of Cavallos. It was proljably near the head 
of A])palachee Bay, as it took some time to descend to the Gulf. 
AVhen De Soto's expedition visited the same region eleven years 
afterwards, the Indians conducted them to the spot, where they 
saw remains of Xarvaez's camp, the forge used by the black- 
smith, scraps of iron, and the bones of horses, and were shown 
the place where ten soldiers had been killed in the vicinity 
of Ante. Narvaez had charge of one boat, C'abcca de Vaca of 
another, the contador Ilenricpiez of a third, Captains Cas- 



20 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

tillo and Dorantes of the fourth, and Captain Tellez of the 
fifth. The priests and friars were in the boat with the con- 
tador. For several days the boats kept witliin the sound, and 
then went out to sea at a pass, probably that now known as 
Indian Pass, formed by St. Vincent's Island and the Main, then 
taking a westerly course along the shore. It seems very strange 
to us who are conversant with the geography of the country 
that, intending only to reach Spanish settlements, they should 
have gone west instead of southeast, Cuba being much nearer 
than Mexico. The real reason was their ignorance of the true 
position of the port they wished to reach — Panuco, south of the 
Eiver of Palms, which empties into the Gulf in the northern 
part of Mexico and near Tampico. Upon several ancient maps 
the Bay of Appalachee is rej^resented as about equidistant be- 
tween the Capes of Florida and the Bay of Tampico, while in 
fact Panuco, on the Bay of Tampico, is twelve hundred miles 
distant from the Bay of Appalachee, while Cuba is only about 
five hundred miles ; but as the}^ had been a long while traveling 
they thought the distance much greater. The voyagers soon be- 
gan to suffer from hunger and thirst, and were in constant dan- 
ger of shipwreck. They occasionally ran into coves and creeks, 
and sometimes encountered Indians fishing. They thus moved 
slowly along for thirty days. Entering an inlet, they landed, 
and were received in an apparently friendly manner by an 
Indian chief, but in the night they wqvg set upon l)y the In- 
dians. In the melee they took from the chief his blanket, made 
of the skins of the civet-marten, and saw other Indians simi- 
larly decorated, but none so fine. Narvaez, who had accepted 
the hospitality of the chief's cabin, was wounded in tlie face by 
a stone. Endeavoring to reach their boats, they were attacked 
with fury, and their assailants were with ditficulty beaten off. 
On the following day they again put to sea, and after proceed- 
ing three days entered a lagoon and met a canoe manned by 
Indians. Suffering greatly for want of water, they asked 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 21 

the Indians where they could obtain it. They said if one of the 
Spaniards would go with them they would show where it could 
be had. A Christian Greek, named Theodoro, volunteered to go 
with them, and was accompanied by a negro, and that was the 
last that was seen of them. Failing to obtain water or the re- 
turn of the Greek, they again went out to sea, being violently 
assailed on the way out by the Indians with stones and sticks. 
That night they kept on until the following evening, when they 
came to a very large river, and near by a large number of small 
islands. ■Here they obtained fresh water in the open sea where 
the river joined it. They landed upon an island to roast their 
com, and, finding no wood, they undertook to enter the river, 
l)ut the current was so strong that it carried them out to sea. 
They worked for two days, trying to reach land again, but De 
Vaca's boat went aground in three feet of water. 

In the morning they got their boat otf, and three of the boats 
tlien came together, one of which had Narvaez on boartb When 
he was asked for orders, he replied that it was not a time for 
giving orders, that each one must look out for himself and do 
whatever he thought best. 

De Vaca saw no more of Narvaez, but afterwards learned 
that he coasted along some distance, that the contador's boat 
with the friars was capsized, and they, following the coast, 
came up to those of Narvaez's people, who had landed. The 
governor brought them all together, and then went on board 
liis Ijoat, and anchored out, refusing to remain on shore, 
l)oaring in mind probably the rough reception he had recently 
met with and the wounds he was still suffering from. He re- 
mained in his boat, anchored only with a stone, with only the 
master and a cabin boy, both of whom were sick. In the middle 
of the night a storm arose which carried the boat out to sea, 
unprovided with water or provisions. Nothing more was ever 
seen of Narvaez. 

There on the broad sea this Spanish nobleman, the proud 



22 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

adelantado, the leader of an expedition the result of which was 
expected to be equal if not superior to the achievements of Cor- 
tez, without followers, desolate, sick, and famished, miserably 
perished, and no one was left to tell how or where. Those 
of Narvaez's party who were on shore were thus left helpless, 
having lost their boat. They followed the shore until ihey 
oame to a wide bay, which they crossed upon a raft, and, march- 
ing along the shore, came to an Indian camp. The Indians see- 
ing them approach, put their tents in their canoes and crossed 
a river which lay beyond. 

The' Spaniards, as the weather was cold, concluded to 
camp in a wood near the shore, trusting to find food 
of some kind, but they daily grew weaker, and gradually 
dro])ped off one by one, protracting their miserable existence 
by living on the bodies of the dead, until at last one only, 
named Esquival, remained, the sole survivor. He was carried 
into captivity by the Indians, and through him the sad story 
came to Cabeca de Vaca from one to whom he had told it. 
From this period on, Cabeca de Vaca was the central figure, and 
he it was who, being in advance, first described the great river, 
near its outlet in the Gulf, telling of its current so strong that 
they were not able to stem it, its waters so deep that they could 
not be sounded, and so abundant that they. carried their fresh- 
ness far out into the salt sea. One can hardly have a doubt but 
that the great river was the Father of Waters, the great river of 
the continent, the Mississippi. It is not De Soto, but Cabeca 
de Vaca who is entitled to the honor of being the first Euro- 
pean who saw the Mississijipi, and somewhere on its banks 
there should be placed a marble column commemorating bis 
discovery. 

After Cabeca de Vaca parted from Narvaez, in company 
with the boat of Penalosa, he rowed four days well out to sea, 
when they discovered smoke on shore, ajid being almost fam- 
ished and without water, they drew in towards the land. It 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 23 

was November and tljey hegan to siiffer from cold, and to add 
to tlieir misery a gale of wind came up. They were so feeble 
and so chilled that they could liardly handle an oar. They were 
now approaching the land, when their boat struck bottom a 
short distance from the shore, and on their hands and knees 
they crawled to land. 

Sheltering themselves in a ravine, they were able to build a 
fire and roast the little store of corn they still had, and little by 
little were somewhat revived. They had started on the 22d of 
September from the Bay de Cavallos, and it was now the Gth of 
November. Panuco seemed as far off as ever, and the survivors, 
now numbering ninety souls, were soon all on land, unable 
to pursue their voyage further. Their boats had capsized, and 
they had lost all their clothing and everything else they had ; 
and now shipwrecked and dispirited, they fell upon the last 
resort, the horrible necessity of subsisting upon the flesh of 
their dead comrades. The fifth and last boat, that of Captains 
Penalosa and Tellez, continued some distance further on, was 
wrecked, and all were killed by the Indians near the spot where 
they landed. 

Of the three hundred who started out from the Bay of Santa 
Cruz with Narvaez in May, all had perished, so far as was 
known, before December, except four. These were Cabeca de 
Vaca, the treasurer ; Captain Alonzo Castillo, Captain Andres 
Dorantes, and Estevanico, an iVrabian negro or Moor. "When 
Narvaez began his march from the Bay of Santa Cruz, he left 
three vessels there with one hundred men and ten women on 
l)oard with a very small amount of stores. These vessels were 
to sail along as near the land as possible, and enter the large 
bay which Miruelo described, and where Narvaez was to meet 
them. Tliey followed the coast for some distance without 
finding the harbor they were looking for, and then sailed south- 
ward, and five or six leagues below where they had landed on 
their arrival, they found a bay which penetrated into the land 



24 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

seven or eight leagues, which no doubt was Espiritu Santo, 
now kno\\Ti as Tampa Bay. Two of these vessels continued to 
search for Narvaez for nearly a year, and then sailed to Mexico. 
It was from one of these vessels that Juan Ortiz landed and was 
captured by the Indians, as will he told furtlier on. 

All the five boats had now been shipwrecked, that of Dorantes 
and Castillo having been Avrecked on the shore, a few leagues 
further on, on the day previous to the lauding of Penalosa. 



CHAPTER V 

story of the remarkable adventures of Cabeca de Vaca — How he became a 
great medicine man — ^The peculiar customs of the Indians — His event- 
ual escape with three others and arrival in Mexico. 

A.D. 152S-1538 

With the exception of three who were drowned by the cap- 
sizing of a boat, and Narva ez and the two who remained on 
board witli liim and were driven out to sea, all who had set out 
m the five boats from Ante, some two hundred and thirty-four 
in number, were now scattered along the unkindly shores of 
Louisiana, divided into two parties. The fate of those ninety 
souls in the boats of Narvaez and the contador Henriqucz we 
have already referred to. Cabeca de Vaca's company, with those 
from Castillo's boat, numbered about ninety persons. In the 
capsizing of their boats they had lost nearly all their clothing. 
To find food for this number of hungry men was no small task. 
Some Indians came to them and gave them fish and fruits ; 
yet, although they were on the shore of a sea abounding at all 
times with fish and oysters, they seem to have been too un- 
skilled to ol)tain them, and cold and naked, with abundance to 
be had from the sea, they waited in helplessness on the shore for 
death to relieve their sufi'erings. 

Four of the stoutest started on foot to go to Panuco as mes- 
sengers to ol)tain succor. They still had the idea that Panuco 
was not far distant. The four never returned nor reached their 
destination. In a few days cold, hunger, and stormy weather 
had reduced the company to fifteen. De Vaca well named the 
place Isla del Malhado, the Island of Misfortune. The descrip- 
tions of localities by De Vaca are too indefinite for us to now 



30 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

identify them. The disastrous locality where this great tragedy 
of human suffering occurred was somewhere not far west of the 
mouths of the Mississippi. The survivors, Cabeca de Vaca and 
the others, owed their preservation to an idea which had ob- 
tained among the Indians that tlie white men were skilled in 
tlie liealing art, and, whether they would or no, they were forced 
to become medicine men. Their success as such exceeded their 
expectations. De Vaca thus describes their mode of treating the 
sick, which was " to bless them, to l)reathe upon them, recite a 
Pater Noster and an Ave Maria, praying earnestly to God that 
he would give them health, and influence them to do some great 
good in his mercy," and, he piously adds, " that he willed that 
all those for whom we supplicated should, directly after we 
made the sign of the cross over them, tell the others that they 
were sound and well." After De Vaca left these Indians he en- 
gaged in the business of an itinerant trader, carrying shells and 
conehs from the coast, and exchanging them for skins, arrow- 
heads, pigments, and other articles in the interior. 

He remained six years among the coast Indians thus em- 
ployed, always looking forward to some avenue of escape, gath- 
ering information of localities and peoples which might aid him 
in finding his way back to civilization. His occupation of 
trader gave him a great deal of freedom in going about, but he 
suffered at times greatly from want of food and clothing ; but 
lie says he was always welcomed and furnished with food when 
the natives had any. For three or four months in every year 
the Indians lived in plenty on the Indian fig and nuts in season, 
])ut in the winter had little to live on, and had no fixed habita- 
tions or cultivated fields. 

A singular custom is mentioned of one of the tribes, that they 
suckled their children until they were twelve years old, and the 
reason given was that the children might not suffer in times of 
scarcity of food. De Vaca, Castillo, Dorantes, and Estevanico 
were held in bondage by different- but neighboring tribes. Of 



niSTOUY OF FLORIDA 27 

the fourteen who left the Isle of Malliado, nearly all, after 
uiontlis of captivity, were killed, and tliere remained only the 
four last named, who managed to join each other when their 
tribes came together for their annual repast on the prickly 
pears. They had become thoroughly versed in the language 
and customs of the Indians, and, having gone unclothed, had 
come to resemble them in color and general appearance, and 
liad learned something of the character of the regions which 
lay west of them towards Mexico, in reaching which now lay 
their only hope of escape. Having finally managed to agree 
upon their plans, they appointed the full of the moon in Sep- 
tember for their flight. They left together, and soon reached 
another tribe, by whom they were received with many demon- 
strations of joy, on account of their reputation as medicine 
]ncn, '" having already heard of their success in healing the sick 
and the miracles which the Lord had performed through 
them." On the evening of their arrival Castillo cured a native 
instantly of a severe headache, which added to their respect for 
the Christians. As the weather was becoming colder, and fruits 
were nearly out of season, they decided to remain with these 
people until spring. They went with them several days in 
search of a fruit resembling vetches. Arriving on the banks of 
a river, they cured five very sick Indians by their prayers and 
were liberally rewarded. But they accomplished still more, if 
what the Indians told Cabeca de Vaca is to be believed, for they 
claimed that one who was dead had come to life again after his 
efforts and prayers. The four Christians now passed from tribe 
to tribe in a sort of triumphal progress, loaded with gifts and 
blessings by those whose friends they had healed. But this 
was not always the case ; sometimes they had the sharpest 
])ains of hunger to endure, and were obliged to go into thickets 
to obtain fuel, where the thorns excoriated their naked bodies. 
They shod their skins like snakes twice a year, and suifered in- 
tensely from the cold. They were at one time glad to buy three 



28 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

dogs, which they ate with relish, and which greatly renewed 
their strength. The people on the coast they found more cruel 
than the people in the interior, and so kept far to the northwest 
of the nearest route to Mexico, a safer but longer route. After 
months of travel, skirting the mountain ranges, they one day 
saw an Indian with a sword buckle. This was a ray of light 
to them, and, being eagerly asked where he obtained it, he said 
that some men with beards like themselves had come into their 
country, who had horses and swords. Soon afterwards they had 
more certain intelligence of the Spaniards, and joyfully pressed 
on in the direction indicated. Their journey soon gave them 
pal]iable evidence of where the Christians had been ; the 
abandoned homes and unfilled fields of the native Mexican in- 
halutants, who had fled in terror from the ruthless forays of the 
Spanish soldiery, attested the vicinity of the white marauders. 
The poor natives had fled to the mountains to avoid death or 
slavery at the hands of the unchristian emissaries of Spain. 
Three days afterwards De Vaca and his comrades reached a 
Mexican village twelve leagues from the California Gulf,- and 
were now in the province known as Sonora, having traversed 
the whole continent on foot from Louisiana to the Gulf of 
California, a distance of more than three thousand miles. Their 
reception by an armed squad of cavalry was hardly what they 
had expected. The first use Alcarez, the captain of the cav- 
alry, wished to make of them was to seize the Indians who had 
guided and befriended De Vaca and his companions as slaves, 
and to entice as many more as possible. De Vaca succeeded in 
releasing the Indians by bribing the Spanish captain, and was 
carried under a sort of arrest to Culiacan, where Diaz, the* 
alcalde and commander of the province, resided. This officer 
received them graciously. At Compostella, Guzman, the gov- 
ernor of the province, provided them with clothing, and sent 
them on to the City of Mexico, where they were received with 
favor by Cortez, and from thence they passed on to Vera Cruz, 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 29 

vvliere tliey embarked on a treasure-ship for Spain, and, having 
harely escaped capture by a French corsair on the way, reached 
Lisbon on the 15th of August, 1537, a little more than ten years 
from the time that Narvaez, proudly bearing his commission of 
adehmtado, had sailed from Spain at the head of his expedition, 
glowing with anticipations of great things to be accomplished 
and great fame to be won. Ilis bones had long lain at the bot- 
tom of the sea, and, of all who accompanied him, four alone sur- 
vived to carry back the story of his complete and utter failure. 
I'pon De Vaca's arrival in Spain, he addressed " to his sacred, 
imperial, and catholic majesty " an interesting narrative of 
his adventures, with observations upon the countries he had 
traversed, and the manners and customs of their inhabitants. 
He desired the privilege of returning to Florida as adelantado, 
l)ut other parties of greater influence and position were seeking 
this honor, and De Vaca had to content himself with the ap- 
pointment of governor of La Plata, from which he returned a 
few years later in disgrace. 

His narrative of the expedition and of the shipwreck of Nar- 
vaez, and of his own personal adventures subsequently, is ex- 
ceedingly interesting as containing the observations of the first 
European who traversed the region now known as the Cotton 
States, and one of the first, if not the first, of white men who 
stood on the banks of the Mississipjii. His story, moreover, has 
])ersonal interest in its relation of the endurance and sagacity 
liy which for so many years he maintained himself among sav- 
age peoj)le, and tlie great determination he exhibited in making 
a journey of thousands of miles through an unknown country, 
and at last reaching his fellow countrymen in Mexico; a journey 
whiclu considering all the circumstances, has never been paral- 
leled 1)V anv other of which we have anv knowledge. 



CHAPTER VI 

The strange attraction Florida had for adventurers — The stories told of 
its riches and advantages. 

A.D. 1538 

Those who have had occasion to consult the relations of the 
early adventurers who attempted the conquest or colonization 
of Florida cannot fail to have been struck with the fact that the 
country is eulogized by them all as a very rich and fertile coun- 
try. Thus, in the English translation of the relation of the 
Portuguese Gentleman, by Hakluyt, it is said, " wherein are 
truly observed the riches and fertilities of these parts, abound- 
ing with things necessary, pleasant, and profitable for the life 
of man." And in the same work it is said that Cabeca de Vaca 
reported, upon his return to Spain, " that it was the richest 
country of the world." Doubtless, to most persons, this will 
seem so absurd and exaggerated as to cast discredit upon the 
veracity of the narrator. But this flattering estimate of the 
country l)y the early explorers and voyagers may be explained 
upon grounds perfectly consistent with the idea of sincerity 
on their part. It must be recollected, in the first place, that 
the name of Florida then designated a vast extent of country, 
stretching from the Gulf of Mexico northwards towards un- 
known regions. The divisions of the country, as marked upon 
the maps, were Florida at the south, extending to the north of 
the Chesapeake, and meeting what was afterwards called New 
France. In speaking of Florida, therefore, in those da3^s, ref- 
erence was had to a much larger scope of country than is now 
designated by the name. The main object of all expeditions 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 31 

at that day was the discovery of precious metals, and, coming 
I'rom the old world, men had no standard of comparison by 
which to measure the agricultural value of the new. Tlie 
shores of Florida presented to their eyes a more grateful and 
pleasing prospect than the sands of the Tierra Caliente of 
Mexico or the arid mesquite groves of South America. Let us 
suppose for a moment a vessel, long tempest-tossed upon the 
Avild waste of waters, entering one of the harbors of Florida. 
As the shores are approached, there opens a gentle and placid 
l)ay, land-locked, and reflecting with glassy stillness the shad- 
ows of the evergreen towering trees of the forest. The fleet- 
ing clouds of heaven pass over its polished surface, and chang- 
ing points of beauty are being constantly developed. The 
white-winged water-fowl skim quietly along its surface, the 
gracefully waving moss droops from the hanging boughs, pleas- 
ant coves and sylvan retreats border its banks. The apj)ear- 
ances upon the land are equally flattering ; the green vegeta- 
tion, even in midwinter, gives a vernal beauty to the landscape. 
The evergreen forests, filled with birds of song and beauty ; the 
magnolia grandiflora, with its glistening leaves and splendid 
llowers ; the tall palms, with their leafy canopies ; the stalwart 
live-oak, the mournful cypress, tlie brilliant dogwood and 
bright yellow honeysuckle — all give an air of enchantment and 
l)eauty to the scene. The antlers of the noble buck and the 
glossy plumage of the wild turkey of the forest signal both food 
and noble pastime. An Oriental and tropical richness and pro- 
fusion of vegetable life seem to invite to enjoyment and ease. 
The voyagers ascend the gentle current of the placid rivers, 
and new beauties are met at every turn. They seem to float 
amid flowers and perfume ; the drooping vines, trailing in the 
water, mingle with water-plants of various tints ; everything 
is tinged with richness and beauty, and from some captured 
savage they hear always of the gold of some distant province 
which animates their hopes and expectations. 



33 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Is it strange that such a country should, where everything 
was new and marvelous and exaggerated, impart, without much 
license of the imagination, a pleasant glow of beauty and rich- 
ness to the narrations of those who for the first time landed on 
its coasts ? 

The progress of discovery and of conquest had gone on in the 
south with almost uninterrupted success ; a great and unex- 
])lored region was known to exist at the north, and the im- 
agination had full scope to create for itself new fields for the 
ac(|uisition of glory and wealth. 



CHAPTER VII 

The story of how the famous Cavalier Hernando de Soto undertook the 
conquest of Florida — Plis landing at Tampa Bay — The romantic story 
of Juan Ortiz. 

, A.D. 1539 

Panfilo de j^arvaez had miserably perished with all his 
noble men-at-arms and splendid equipments, demonstrating 
none of the great qualities necessary to insure success in such 
undertakings, enlisting, indeed, our pity, but in no way our 
admiration. 

Cabeca de Vaca had returned to Spain, and in an enigmatical 
way gave it to be understood that Florida was a very rich coun- 
try ; but he must not discover all he knew, as he wished to go 
back, and to obtain the government of it from the king. But 
a much greater man than himself, or Narvaez, or any of their 
predecessors, had already planned an expedition for its con- 
(juest ; no less a personage than Hernando de Soto, one of the 
most renowned cavaliers of the day. There was at that time no 
man who occupied a more exalted position at the Spanish court 
than De Soto. 

He was a native of Villa Nueva de Baccarota, near Xerez, 
and was of a good family. Entering into the service of Arias 
D'Avilas, better known as Pedrarias, then governor of the West 
Indies, he was soon promoted to the command of a troop of 
horse, and was sent by D'Avilas with one hundred men and a 
supply of horses to join Pizarro, then on his way to undertake 
the conquest of Peru. 

The native qualities of the young cavalier early displayed 



U HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

themselves, and he soon rose to be second in command. With 
a small force he captured the Inea, and left two thousand slain 
upon the field. 

After the complete subjugation of Peru, he withdrew with a 
splendid booty of one hundred and eighty thousand ducats, 
which had fallen to his share, and, with some valiant comrades, 
returned to Spain in 1536. It is said that he had fallen in love 
with Pedrarias's daughter, some sixteen years previously, before 
he left Spain, and that they had remained constant in their af- 
fection, but her father was opposed to their union. Pedrarias 
being now dead, De Soto married the Lady Isabella, and, on the 
strength of the gold he had brought from Peru, lived in great 
state for two years at the Spanish court. After sixteen years of 
active adventure, and being still a comparatively young man, De 
Soto longed for a more active life, and procured the appoint- 
ment of governor of Cuba and adelantado of Florida, and was 
made a marquis of Spain. Notwithstanding the many visits to 
its shores, very little was known of the interior of the extensive 
region called Florida. It was still believed that there was 
somewhere to be found a passage across to the Pacific, and that 
a country even richer than Mexico itself existed to the north of 
that part of Mexico which had been explored. The prestige of 
De Soto's name and reputation, and the success which had 
hitherto attended his adventures ; the wealth which he had 
brought with him, no doubt greatly exaggerated by common 
report, and the lavish prodigality with which he lived, at- 
tracted to his standard a splendid retinue of followers, burning 
for adventures and eager to share in the booty which should fall 
to those who participated in the conquest of new regions. He 
invited De Vaca to join him, but that sagacious traveler de- 
clined to do so at his own expense. The Lady Isabella accom- 
panied De Soto to Cuba, where he proposed to organize his ex- 
pedition. While making his large preparations, he sent two 
small vessels to the coast of Florida to discover the ports suit- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 35 

able for making a landing. They returned, bringing with them 
two Indians, who gave De Soto by signs to understand that 
there was much gold in Florida, which delighted the governor 
and all his companions, thinking they were about to occujiy the 
richest country yet discovered. His preparations being finally 
com])leted, he left Cuba on May 18, 1539, and on the 35th 
landed in the bay now known as Tampa Bay, to which he 
gave the name of Espiritu Santo. The number disembarked 
was one thousand men-at-arms, three^ hundred and fifty horses, 
twelve priests, and a few friars, a f(n"ce far exceeding in char- 
acter and numbers any that had previously gone forth in any 
expedition. Landing in the lower part of Tampa Bay, as their 
vessels could not go up to the head of the bay, they marched up 
hy land to an Indian town, the site of the present town of 
Tampa. The house of the chief was upon an artificial emi- 
nence, which, we have no reason to doul)t, was the large Indian 
mound at Tampa, which still remains, after more than three 
luindred years, to awaken the interest of the antiquary and 
attest the truth of ancient chroniclers. 

While at this place, the two Indians whom they had been re- 
lying upon as guides and interpreters escaped, to the great dis- 
a})pointment of De Soto. From some captured women, how- 
ever, he learned that a Spaniard left by Xarvaez was in the 
keeping of a neighboring chief. This man was Juan Ortiz, the 
liistory of whose ten years' sojourn among the Indians would 
luive been of itself a most interesting one, had he possessed the 
skill to write it, or had he escaped with his life to Spain to relate 
it more fully. 

IHE STORY OF JUAN ORTIZ 

It will ])e recalled that Narvaez had landed in a bay, which he 
bad nanu:>(l " The Holy Cross," a few miles north of Tampa 
Bay. Before commencing his march into the interior, he had 



36 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

sent one of his smaller" vessels back to Cuba, to carry intelli- 
gence to his wife, and on board of this vessel went Juan Ortiz. 
Having arrived safely in Cuba and taken supplies, the vessel 
was sent back by Narvaez's wife, with the expectation of having 
it meet him at some point on the coast. Having reached the 
vicinity where Narvaez had landed, they sought information of 
Narvaez's movements of some of the Indians, and were told that 
he had left there and marched northward. Observing a letter 
fixed in the cleft of a stick on shore, they asked some Indians 
wliom they saw near by to bring it to them, which they refused 
to do, but made signs to have them come for it. The others re- 
fusing to go, Juan Ortiz, then a youth of eighteen, with a com- 
rade took a boat and went on sliore, where they were immedi- 
ately surrounded by Indians, who lay hidden near by, and were 
taken to their chief, IJcita, who was greatly enraged against the 
Spaniards on account of injuries he had received from Narvaez. 
The companion of Ortiz was killed at once, having ofPered some 
resistance. Those on board the vessel, seeing this, at once 
raised anchor, put out to sea, and returned to Cuba, leaving 
Ortiz to his fate. 

The chief ordered Ortiz to be bound hand and foot, and 
stretched out upon a staging of pales, and a fire to be built 
under him, to slowly roast him alive. The cruel chief had a 
beautiful daughter, about the same age as Ortiz, who, when she 
saw the dreadful fate to which the young Spaniard was doomed, 
was moved to that pity and compassion which, to the credit of 
her sex be it spoken, are always aroused in woman's breast by 
misfortune and suffering. Narvaez had been guilty, it appears, 
of acts of atrocious cruelty towards the mother of the chief, and 
he felt the strongest desire for vengeance upon the hated race. 

Overcoming her own natural resentment, and braving the 
anger of her father, the young girl threw herself at his feet and 
implored liim to spare the life of the captive youth, urging upon 
him that this smooth-cheeked boy had done him no injury, and 



HISTORY OF FLOBIDA 



37 



tliat it was more noble for a brave and lofty chief like himself 
to keej) the youth a captive than to sacrifice so mere a lad to his 
revenge. 'J'he intercession of the noble maid was successful, 
and the captive youth, who had already suffered painfully upon 
his fiery bed, was loosed and his burned flesh cared for by the 
gentle hands of her who had saved his life. He was set to 
guard the place where the Indians placed their dead upon scaf- 
folds as their sepultiTre. AVolves and catamounts beset the 
place, while Ortiz stood guard through the lonely watches of the 




INDIAN PRINCESS SAVING THE LIFE Ol^ JUAN ORTIZ 



night. For a long period he kept the wild l)easts away, l)ut at 
last it happened that one night the body of a child of one of the 
chiefs was carried off by a wolf. Ortiz threw a dart at the ani- 
mal and wounded it, but was not aware that the child had been 
taken. The next morning the loss of the child's body was dis- 
covered and Ortiz was ordered to be put to death, but the In- 
dians, following on the track of the wolf, discovered the body 
of the child and the wolf lying dead just beyond it. The chief, 



38 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

being thus satisfied of the faithful watch kept by Ortiz, received 
him again into favor. 

Three years afterwards a tierce war liaving broken out be- 
tween his protector and a neighboring tribe, in order to pro- 
pitiate the evil spirit, it was their custom to sacrifice some one, 
and Ortiz was selected as the victim. His faithful friend, the 
chief's daughter, came at night and w^arned him that he would 
be sacrificed the next day. She advised him to seek the protec- 
tion of Mucoso, a neighboring chief, whose wife she expected in 
time to become, and who would, she said, receive and protect 
him. At the dead hour of night she came and guided him half 
a league on his way. 

He traveled all night, and in the morning came to a river 
wdiere Mucoso's territory began, and, being unable to speak the 
language of the tribe, he came very near being killed by the first 
party of Indians he encountered, but^ fortunately for him, there 
was one of the Indians who could understand him and who paci- 
fied the others. Mucoso himself being near at hand, came and 
met him, and, learning by wdiom he had been sent to his care, 
received him cordially and promised him protection, and that, if 
any Christians should ever come to the country, he would let 
him go back with them. It is said that Ucita demanded Ortiz 
to be surrendered to him, and that Mucoso's refusal caused a 
breach between them and prevented for many years his attain- 
ing as his bride Ortiz's fair protector, sacrificing his love to his 
high sense of honor. 

Ortiz remained with Mucoso eight years, and conformed in 
all respects to their mode of life. He became inured to going 
unclothed, and acquired their language, almost losing famil- 
iarity with his own. 

Cortez sent out a party to endeavor to find him, as he very 
greatly needed his services as an interpreter, as also on account 
of his knowledge of the country. ]\Iucoso having learned of 
De Soto' landing, sent Ortiz, accom})anied by several Indians, 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 39 

to meet the Spaniards. The two parties met on the way, and 
the Spaniards at once made an attack on tlie Indians, who all 
fled except Ortiz, who called out that he was a Spaniard, and 
told them who he was, and that those who accompanied him 
were friends and bore friendly greetings and offer of service 
from Miicoso. 

De Soto was very glad to obtain Ortiz, and his first question 
was wlietlier he could tell him what part of the country was 
rich in gold, but he could only tell him of wliat was reported 
among the Indians, and, as he had spent his whole captivity in 
a narrow area, he was of no great service as a guide or interpreter 
after they had passed on northwards of the lands of Ucita and 
Miicoso. 

- The story of Ortiz reminds us of -that of Pocahontas and 
Captain John Smith at the first settlement of Jamestown nearly 
one hundred years later, except that Ortiz was young and fair. 
The name of this fair princess is given, I know not by what 
authority, as Ulelah, and that of her father as Ucita, and also 
as chief of Ilirrihigua. These names ought to be commemo- 
rated in South Florida. Juan Ortiz died after De Soto crossed 
the Mississippi and not very long before the death of De Soto 
himself. 



CHAPTER VIII 

De Soto's raai'ch through East Flori(hx — Battles witli the Indians — Arrival 
iu Middle Florida. 

A.D. 1539 

While De Soto was encamped at Hirrihigua, Mucoso, the 
protector of Ortiz, came to see him and spent a few days in his 
camp, furnishing him with guides for his Journey. Porcallo 
and some others returned to Cuba in the vessels ; they were in- 
structed to obtain supplies and follow up the coast to some good 
harljor, where they might be met by those marching ]jy land. 
Before leaving the Bay of Esp'ritu Santo, De Soto sent out 
small detachments to examine the country, and, having re- 
ceived a favorable report from Gallegos, who was in command 
of a party which had gone in a northwesterly direction, De 
Soto followed in two days to Mucoso and sent back for the main 
forces to join him. 

They had come prepared to make a settlement in the coun- 
try, and, among other things, had brought three hundred head 
of swine. One can well imagine that it was not very easy to 
march an army encumbered with such animals through the 
wilds of Florida. Their progress was slow, and they were not 
very well provisioned for the journey ; they found few fields, 
and the country low. Passing several small Indian towns, and 
having crossed the Withlaeooehee with some difficulty, they 
came to Cale, or Ocali, situated, it is supposed, in the noighbor- 
liood of the present Ocala. At Ocali they found an abundance 




PORTRAIT OF UERNANDO UK SOTO 



42 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

of corn or maize, as well as plums, grapes, nuts, and acorns. 
After leaving Ocali they entered the domain of a great chief 
named Vitachuco. 

Leaving part of his force at Ocali, Dc Soto, with fifty horse- 
men and sixty men on foot, pushed forward to reach Appa- 
lachee, which they were told hy the Indians of Ocali was a seven 
days' Journey and a very rich and abundant country, the same 
story which had been told Narvaez. After several days' march 
and crossing a river, they came into the Appalachee country, 
which appears to have designated the country west of the 
Suwanee River. At a town called Vitachuco four hundred In- 
dians made a concerted attack upon De Soto's people, but were 
repulsed and driven into a lake, where they swam beyond reach 
of the Spaniards, but, being surrounded, were compelled to 
come out and surrender themselves. The prisoners were divided 
among the Spaniards as servants, and were led with chains. 
All the rest who were not wanted as slaves were tied to a stake 
in the market-place and shot to death by the Indians whom the 
Spaniards had brought along with them. The Spaniards had 
come with a supply of chains and iron collars for the purpose 
of securing their captives, and they made them carry all their 
baggage, grind their maize, and procure fuel for them. They 
came to several Indian towns and found many cultivated fields, 
but no precious metals. They advanced as far west as the 
Ocklocknee, and were shown the place where Narvaez built his 
boats. De Soto here, no doubt, received more correct informa- 
tion from the Indians as to the source of the supply of the little 
gold they possessed, and was directed to the hills of upper 
Georgia. 

They encountered a large body of Indians, armed with bows 
and arrows, who were easily defeated ; he afterwards traveled 
several days, passing morasses and a low,boggy country, until he 
came to a well-settled and fertile country, and reached a town 
called Anhayea. Here he remained some time, and learned of a 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 43 

better region to tlie nortlieast, governed by a queen. Their 
route now lay througli Georgia, i)assing by a town named Yu- 
laba, wliieli may liave been Alapaha, and came to a great river, 
l)roba1)ly tlu^ Altamaha, wliich tliey crossed with some difficulty. 
They afterwards came to a town called Capachiqui. The coun- 
try was populous, as may be inferred from the fact that a chief 
sent De Soto two thousand Indians, with a present of many 
conies and partridges, l)read of maize, two hens, and many 
dogs, which were as highly prized by them as though they had 
been fat wethers. Feminine chieftainship is an unfrcquent 
occurrence among savage tribes, but in the eastern part 
of South Carolina the Spaniards came into the territories 
of an Indian queen, invested with great beauty and grace, 
wJio is styled by the old chroniclers " the Ladie of the 
countrie." .x^ . 

Tipon De Soto's approach he was met 1\v a lady ambassadress, 
a sister of her Majesty, who made him a speech of welcome, 
and was followed soon after by the queen, borne under a canopy 
by her attendants and accompanied b}' some of her principal 
men. She brought handsome presents of mantles and skins, 
and took from around her own neck a necklace of pearls and 
gracefully placed it around the neck of De Soto. 

They said that they were two days' journey from the sea, and 
that other white men had been on the coast near there many 
years before, who had quarreled among themselves and gone 
away, referring to D'Ayllon's expedition in 1520. Many of 
the Spaniards wished to remain in this good country belonging 
to the fair queen, but De Soto was unwilling to return to Spain 
or Ilispaniola without having more gold and pearls to exhibit 
than they yet had been able to obtain. He therefore deter- 
mined to pursue his quest for a richer country and richer gains. 
He was no doubt now told of the gold found in the streams 
coming down from the mountainous regions of upper Georgia. 
Perceiving that the Spaniards valued the pearls, the queen 



44 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

advised the governor to have some graves searched, in which he 
woukl find many. They accordingly sought the graves, and 
there gathered four measures of pearls, weighing two hundred 
and ninety-two pounds, and little hirds and babies made of 
them. These Indians were brown, well made, and more civil 
than any others seen in Florida, and all of them shod and 
clothed. 

The fair princess seems to have been ill requited for her hos- 
pitable reception of the Spaniards. Held as a hostage, De Soto 
insisted upon her accompanying them, which she did for many 
days, until one day, turning aside into the forest upon some 
slight pretext, she disappeared, not without suspicion of design, 
as there chanced to be missing at the same time one of the 
Spaniards, who, report said, had joined the " ladie " for weal or 
for wo, and returned with her to her people. De Soto's march 
then carried him liack into Georgia, towards the mountains 
and the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers and the region near the 
Tennessee. From thence he moved southward into Alabama. 
By one tribe, it was said, he was furnished with a present of 
seven hundred hens, and by another with twenty baskets of 
mulberries, and at another place three hundred dogs were 
brought to him. 

During all this long march through Georgia, South Carolina, 
and Alabama he seems to have obtained sufficient supplies for 
his men and horses from tlie Indian fields and store-houses. 
On one occasion only they killed one of the swine they had 
brouffht with them. 



CHAPTER IX 

Tlie battle of Mauvilla — Loss of their pearls and baggage — Maldonado's 
arrival at Ochusi concealed from his troops, and De Soto decides to 
continue tlie expedition — He crosses the Mississippi — His death and 
burial — The Spaniards build boats and reach Mexico. 

A.D. 1 540 

De Soto, pursuing his march to the southwest, finally came 
k) a large Indian town called Mauvilla, which was the scene of 
a sanguinary combat. The Spaniards had brought with them 
a large nuniher of Indian slaves to carry their baggage, includ- 
ing the j)earls they had obtained. Having encamped near the 
town, these Indian slaves were suddenly surprised and carried 
into town with the baggage. De Soto determined to strike a 
l)low which should terrify and overcome the natives, set fire to 
the hal)itations, consuming alike the stores of the Indians and 
liis own l)aggage with its treasure of pearls. The number of 
Indians slain in this encounter is stated to have been twenty- 
five hundred, and the Spanish loss eighteen killed and one hun- 
dred and fifty wounded ; twelve horses were slain and seventy 
wounded. After this battle, which was fought with such great 
loss on both sides, De Soto learned of the arrival of Maldonado 
from C*uba with the vessel sent by his wife, the Lady Isabella, 
at Ochusi, a port on the Gulf of Mexico, six days' journey from 
^Mauvilla. Ochusi was an Indian town on Pensacola Bay, and 
^Mauvilla was on the Alabama Eiver, probably one hundred 
miles or so from its mouth, near its Junction with the Tombig- 
bee. The opportunity was thus presented for De Soto to safely 
return to Chiba with the remainder of his forces. He had lost. 



46 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

from sickness and those slain in battle, one hundred and two of 
his men, and at Maiivilla his brother-in-law and nephew, and 
also three valuable officers and men of note. De Soto, how- 
ever, was resolute to his puri)ose, and instructed Juan Ortiz to 
keep Maldonado's arrival a secret, because, he said, he had not 
accomplished the purpose of his expedition, and because, his 
pearls having been destroyed, and having neither gold nor 
pearls to carr}^ he was unwilling either to return or send any 
news of himself until he had found some rich country. And 
thus he deliberately turned his face forever from his native land 
and from all the wealth and distinction of his vice-royalty in 
Cuba, intent on doing sometliing worthy of his great name and 
reputation. Maldonado long waited the arrival of De Soto at 
Ochusi, and at last, despairing of meeting him, turned his ves- 
sels sorrowfully to bear to the Larly Isabella the report of the 
probable fate which had attended the expedition. Having re- 
mained at Mauvilla twenty-eight days, De Soto resumed his 
marsh on November the 18th, changing his course to the 
northwest, sore in body and sore in spirit, having now to meet 
hostile tribes, who lost no occasion to do him an injury. Night 
attacks were frequent, and towns were burned over their 
heads. 

Having many water-courses and rivers to cross, they moved 
slowly, and in ]\Iarch had come to a town in northern Missis- 
sippi called Chicaca. While occupying this town a concerted 
attack was made upon them at night by the natives; the town 
was simultaneously set on fire in numy places, and before any- 
thing could be done to extinguish it the Spaniards lost eleven 
men, fifty horses, and four hundred hogs, which were burned 
to death. Besides this, they lost a large part of their arms, 
lances, saddles, and equipments, and also their clothing. As it 
was M^inter they suffered also very greatly from cold. To 
remedy these losses as far as they were al)le, they put up a forge 
and tempered anew their swords and made many targets, sad- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 47 

dies, and lances. It was not until the 35tli of April that they 
resumed their march, and, after another engagement with the 
Indians and a march of seventeen days through a poor country, 
they came to a great river, which they were unable to cross until 
boats were constructed for the purpose. The great river was 
said to be half a league l)road and very deep, and the current 
very swift. They had reached the banks of the great river, the 
Mississip])i. It took them twenty da3's to construct four 
barges, uj)on which they at length, with all their force, their 
horses and the swine which remained, crossed at midnight, 
meeting with no opposition from the natives. De Soto spent 
the summer and ensuing autumn in exploring the country bor- 
dering on the Mississippi, and wintered, it is supposed, on 
White River. He here concluded that he w^ould go to the sea- 
coast and dis])atch a vessel to Cuba and another to Mexico, 
with the view^ of sending intelligence to his wife, the Lady Isa- 
bella, who was then in Cuba, and to obtain another outfit to en- 
able him to further prosecute his expedition. Y\) to this time 
he had lost two hundred and fifty men and the same number of 
horses. About the middle of April he returned to the banks of 
the Mississippi and sent out parties to ascertain how near they 
were to the sea. The party was absent some days, and returned 
with the report that the route along the river was imi)assable. 
De Soto was greatly discouraged by their report, and shortly 
afterwards was attacked by fever. 

The gallant chief, who had so long borne up under every 
trial and discouragement, who had ever responded with alacrity 
to the call to battle, wdio bore himself always as a prudent and 
brave commander, now began to sink into despondency. 

The slow and wearing fever daily detracted from his 
strength, and he soon felt that the hour of his departure from 
this life was near at hand. lie called his followers around him 
to receive his parting words. He asked their prayers I'oi- liim 
that God would forgive his sins, thanked them for the loyal 



48 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

obcdiGncG which they had alwa3^s rendered him, implored their 
forgiveness for any injuries he niiglit have done any of them, 
and advised tlieir keeping togetlier in good-fellowship, and that 
they should choose a successor to whom they would render the 
same service and obedience they had given him. 

Baltazar de Gallegos returned a suitable answer for all the 
rest, and desired him to name his successor himself, where- 
upon he named Luis Muscoza de Alvarado as captain and gen- 
eral. The choice was approved without dissent. On the next 
day, the 21st day of May, 1542, " departed out of this life the 
valorous, virtuous, and valiant Captain Don Fernando de Soto, 
Governor of Cuba and Adelantado of Florida," whom, says 
the chronicler, '' fortune advanced as it useth to do others that 
he might have the higher fall." He was buried near the camp, 
and it was endeavored to conceal his death, but the Indians sus- 
pecting the place of his burial, and in order that none might 
thereafter do despite to his remains, his body was taken from 
the grave, and, at a late hour of a dark night, was wrapped in his 
mantle and conveyed by the dim light of the stars to the middle 
of the Mississippi and sunk beneath its depths in sorrow and 
silence, with a low-whispered De Profundis from brave and 
saddened hearts. After the death of De Soto his effects were 
disposed of at auction, consisting of two men slaves, two women 
slaves, three horses, and seven hundred hogs. The horses and 
slaves were sold at two or three ducats, all being sold on credit, 
payable out of their share of future acquisitions, or out of their 
revenue when they got back to Spain. It is one of the curious 
features of this expedition that, landing at Tampa Bay with 
five hundred hogs, and traveling two thousand miles to Chicaca, 
where four hundred hogs were burned, leaving only one hun- 
dred, they should, in a few months, be possessed of seven 
hundred. 

Muscoza undertook to follow the supposed route of Cabeca de 
Vaca and reach Mexico, then called New Spain, by land ; but. 



50 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

after traveling to the southwest for some time, became dis- 
couraged and decided to return to the Mississippi and build 
boats with wliich to descend the river to the sea and thence 
along the shore to the Spanish settlements in Mexico. 

They had left the river in June and wandered about until 
December, when they found themselves within two days' jour- 
ney of it. At first they despaired of being able to build the 
boats that they would need, having neither nails or tools or 
cloth for sails, or anything to caulk them with. However, 
it seemed the only chance for escape, and, finding a suit- 
able place, called Minoya, the governor commanded them 
" to gather all the chains which they had brought to lead 
Indians with," and collect timber and materials for building 
boats. 

Fortuiiately, there were found among their nundjer a sliip 
carpenter, four or five carpenters, and two caulkers, and a 
cooper. By the aid of these tliey built seven boats. On the 
2d of July, 15-1:3, three hundred and twenty-two >S])aniards 
embarked at Minoya, carrying with them twenty-two horses. 
Afterwards they killed all but four of the horses, which were 
left on the shore, drying the meat to serve for the voyage. They 
were occasionally attacked by the Indians as they floated dowii 
the river, and on one occasion eleven Sjjaniards were sur- 
rounded and cut off. They at length reached the sea at tlie 
nu)uth of the Mississi})])i, having been seventeen days on the 
way. After some hesitation as to whether they should try the 
0])en sea or sail along the coast, they decided upon the latter as 
being the safest. After a tedious Journey of fifty-two days, 
they at length reached Panuco, now Tampico, having lost none 
of their nmnber except the eleven captured by the Indians 
shortly after they started. When they arrived they were 
dressed in skills, tanned and dyed. Their first act on their 
arrival was to go to church and return thanks for their deliv- 
erance. Out of the tliousnnd Ijrave men who landed with 



lUSTORY OF FLORIDA 51 

De Soto at Tampa Bay, three hundred and eleven arrived in 
Mexico. 

^\'e can hardly trace this long journey of De Soto and his fol- 
lowers tlirough unknown regions without astonishment at the 
liardihood and perseverance which under such circumstances 
could enahle these unacclimatcd Europeans to traverse thou- 
sands of miles unprovided with means of subsistence, marching 
from tribe to tribe and country to country, wherever the infor- 
mation of the hour produced hope for success. So day by day 
and week by week proceeded their march. Wherever an Indian 
held was found its harvest was gathered, and wherever an Indian 
granary or storehouse was discovered its contents were speedily 
ap])ro})riated. Surrounded by thousands of enemies, they ever 
forced their way onward. For three years and a half this long 
iiuircli proceeded, without reinforcements or supplies. This 
fact itself speaks volumes for the energy and generalshij) of the, 
great leader. With but a thousand men, De Soto conquered 
and overran countries containing numerous savage tribes, well 
armed after their own fashion with bows, arrows, and clubs, 
and for over three years subsisted his troops and maintained 
ilie discipline of his forces without, so far as we know, a single 
iininiiur of discontent from his followers. 



CHAPTER X 

Route of De Soto's expedition tlirough Florida ;iiul his subsequent journey 
to tlie Mississippi lliver. 

A.D. 1539-1542 

The remarkable adventures which De Soto encountered, en- 
hanced by his personal character and prowess, have invested the 
expedition of this gallant cavalier with unusual interest, and 
have excited the curiosity of many to determine the route pur- 
sued by him and the locality of the most important events of his 
journey, beginning upon the beautiful Espiritu Santo Bay, 
now known as Tampa Bay, and finally ending upon the banks 
of the Mississippi. The task of tracing the steps of De Soto is 
by no means void of difficulty. We have to encounter not only 
the uncertainties of connecting names with localities imper- 
fectly described, but have to reconcile descriptions given in 
three separate narratives exhibiting differences and discrep- 
ancies. The most voluminous of these is that of Garcilaso de 
la Vega, commonly called L'Inca; the next in extent is that 
of a gentlenum of Elvas, who is called the Portuguese Gentle- 
man, his name being unknowji, and the third and the briefest is 
the narrative of Louis de Biedma. The point where De Soto 
landed is stated by all to have been at Espiritu Santo Bay, on 
the western coast of Florida, a beautiful sheet of water extend- 
ing into the land some thirty-six miles, its depth diminishing 
towards the head of the bay. 

De Soto, on account of the shallowness of the water, landed 
on the southern shore, a few miles below the present city of 



54 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Tampa. Their first day's march was to the Indian town of 
Hirrihigua, two leagues northeasterly, and the location of 
which, as described by La Vega, corresponds very well with the 
present city of Tampa. The village consisted, it is said, of 
several large houses built of wood and thatched with palm 
loaves. In an opposite part of the village, near the water, upon 
an artificial mound so constructed as to serve as a fortress, stood 
the dwelling of the cacique or chief. From Hirrihigua, pro- 
ceeding in a northwest course, at the end of two days De Soto 
came to the village of Mucoso, the chief who had befriended 
Ortiz ; this may have been Hichipucsassa. They next, at a 
distance of twenty-five leagues from Hirrihigua, reached a town 
they called Urriberracaxi, which was probably on the Withla- 
coochee, as they there crossed a river. They next reached a 
town they called Ocali, which was on the banks of a river. This 
location is uncertain, but has been supposed to indicate the 
neighborhood of the present town of Ocala and the Ocklawaha. 
From Ocali they went to Vitachuco. From Osachile they 
marched three days, and on the fourth came to the Great Mo- 
rass. Passing this, they entered a fruitful country covered 
with fields of grain and containing many villages. In four 
days after passing the Great Morass they came to tlie village 
of Anhayea. The line of march from Vitachuco west would 
carry them to the Suwanee, near Suwanee Old Town; thence, 
bearing too far to the southwest, they were involved in one of 
the great coast swamps, but, passing northwesterly, then en- 
tered the fertile region embraced in the present counties of 
Madison, Jefferson, and Leon, and Anhayea is thought to liave 
been in the vicinity of Tallahassee. From Anhayea two ex- 
])loring parties were sent out, one north and one south. The 
party whicli went north returned, reporting very favorably of a 
rich and well-inhabited country. Tlie party which went down 
towards tlie const found a sterile country, full of ponds and 
swamps. These descriptions would correspond very well with 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 55 

ilie country north and south of Monticello or TaHahasscc. The 
village of Ante was twelve leagues from Anhayea and not far 
from the Bay of Appalaehee. De Soto sent hack to the Bay of 
Espiritu Santo and had his vessels brought into this bay. After- 
wards he sent vessels coasting westwardly. At a distance of 
seventy leagues they entered a beautiful bay, called by them 
Ochusi, which evidently was Pensacola Bay. They reported 
that it was land-locked and completely sheltered by bold shores, 
and large enough for a fleet to anchor in. De Soto does not 
aj)pear to have crossed the Appalachicola or the Chattahoochee 
Iiiver, but, having made an appointment for vessels to be sent 
from Cuba to meet him in the fall at Ocliusi, he determined to 
proceed to a province to the northeast abounding in gold, 
j)earls, etc. Leaving Anhayea, he traveled northeast, and, at 
the end (d' three days, came to Copachique ; this was probably 
on the Suwanee River. Two days' farther travel brought them 
to Atapaha. This name so closely resembles Alapaha that it 
is reasonable to suppose that they are the same, and that the 
town was on the river of that name, which, passing through a 
])ortion of Georgia, discharges itself into the Suwanee in Ham- 
ilton County, Florida. Traveling still in the same direction, it 
is supposed that they crossed successively the Altamaha and the 
Savannah Eiver and reached the region of middle Georgia be- 
tween ^lilledgeville and Augusta. They marched thence north- 
westwardly to the mineral region of upper Georgia, where they 
had Ijeen informed that the gold which they saw in the posses- 
sion of the natives had been procured. De Soto then passed to 
the Etowah River, and visited alargelndian townsituated at the 
confluence of the Coosa and Etowah, called Chiapa, the location 
now occupied by the city of Rome, Ga. He then passed south- 
wardly through a rich and fertile country called Coosa, and 
eventually reached ^Faubila, or ^Tauvilla, which was situated, it 
is supposed, atChoctaw Bluff. He hereheard of thearrival of his 
vessels at Ochusi, on Pensacola Bay, and at first contemplated 



56 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

going to meet them, but, fearing that once near his vessels his 
men would insist on leaving the country, he determined to pur- 
sue his march westward. At Mauvilla he was not more than 
one hundred and fifty miles from Pensacola. His course was 
then northwestward to the Mississippi, and it is conjectured 
that he crossed it a few miles below Memphis. 



CHAPTER XI 

An jiccount of some othor expeditions to Florida — The martyrdom of 
Franciscan missionaries — Don Tristan de Luna's march into Alabama 
and Tennessee. 

A.D. 1549-1560 

Upon the arrival of Alvarado in Mexico with the remnant of 
De Soto's expedition the Spanish viceroy, Mendoza, undertook 
to get them to join an expedition he was desirous of sending to 
Florida, but they were unwilling to again encounter the perils 
from which they had so recently escaped. 

A ship carrying home, treasure from Mexico to Spain was 
wrecked, a.d. 1543, on the east coast of Florida, and, of two 
hundred persons who reached the shore, all were killed hy the 
Indians except a few who were kept as slaves. One of these 
men eventually made his way to the French at Fort Caroline 
twenty years afterwards. 

In the year 1549 four brothers of the Franciscan order went 
on a vessel from Havana to Espiritu Santo Bay (Tampa Bay) to 
labor for the conversion of Indians. Two of their number. 
Fathers Penalosa and Fuentes, landed and imdertook to pene- 
trate the country, but were met and immediately killed by the 
Indians. Tlie others remained on board of tlie vessel, and, 
while anchored there, a Spaniard named Juan Mimoz came out 
to the ship and was received on board. He had, he said, been 
a servant to Captain Calderon, of De Soto's expedition, and had 
been tlien captured by the Indians, and had been with them ten 
years, and, seeing this vessel, had gladly availed himself of the 
opportunity for escape. 



58 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Notwithstanding a knowledge of .the fate which had over- 
taken Fathers Penalosa and Fuentes, Father de Bastro, wlio was 
the head of the party, determined to try his own powers of per- 
suasion npon the hostile natives. He insisted upon' landing 
alone among the dusky throng of warriors who now lined the 
shore. Scarcely had he reached the shore hefore he fell beneath 
the clubs of the savages, a martyr to his zeal, and the sands of 
this beautiful bay were thus early reddened with the blood 
of one whose Christian devotion and unselfishness formed a 
marked contrast with the character of those whose lust for gold 
hp,d been almost the sole motive which liad brought them to the 
new world. 

The companions of the martyred priests returned to Havana 
without further effort at communicating with the Indians. 

In the year 1553 a Spanish ileet bearing much treasure sailed 
from Vera Cruz in Mexico, having on Ijoard upwards of one 
thousand souls, and, after leaving Flavana, was overtaken by 
one of those disastrous gales which prevail at times in the 
southern seas with such disastrous effect. Driven helpless be- 
fore its resistless power, the licet. With the exception of one ves- 
sel, was cast upon tlie western shores of Florida, and, of the 
large num1)er on l)oard, only three hundred reached the shore. 
Those who escaped to land endeavored to reach Mexico by fol- 
lowing the coast. They made rafts to cross the mouths of riv- 
ers, and for a while proceeded on their way, but, incessantly 
harassed Ijy the Indians, overcome with fatigue and want of 
food, they gradually died l)y the way, and all perished but one, 
who was rescued at the point of deatli l)y friendly Indians and 
eventually returned to the Spanish settlement in Mexico to 
relate the sad story of the shipwreck and death of all his 
comrades. 

Somewhere along the coast of Florida there lie buried be- 
neath the sands the gold and silver of many a wrecked Spanish 
galleon cast upon its shores, and now and then some hopeful 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA r,<J 

souls seek for many days the lost treasure in its supposed hid- 
ing-place, to find ojily at last disappointment. 

Notwithstanding the disasters which had thus far hef alien 
all who had gone to Florida, the viceroy of New Mexico, in the 
year 1556, was directed by the Spanish crown to prepare a now 
expedition for the conquest and settlement of Florida, and, in 
1559, there was sent to Pensacola Bay a fleet which had hccn 
equipped Ijy the viceroy of Mexico, and sailed from Vera Cruz ; 
on August 14, 1559, they cast anchor in Pensacola Bay, to 
which 'they gave the name of Santa Maria. The expedition 
was under the command of Don Tristan ,de Luna, and carried 
to Florida about one thousand persons, made up of soldiers, 
sailors, friars and other missionaries. In all these expeditions 
it is to be noted that the conversion of the natives to the Chris- 
tian religion was never lost sight of,, as one of the objects to bo 
attained, and however misdirected or unsuccessful these efforts 
were, yet we cannot but recognize the zeal and fidelity with 
Avhich the missionaries of the cross devoted themselves to this 
laudable work. 

A few days after De Luna's expedition landed, a great storm 
came up and partially wrecked the vessels, one of which, having 
gone to sea, was lost with all on board. Their provisions were 
spoiled on others of the vessels, and they were at once reduced 
to great distress. 

A reconnoitering party started northwesterly and traveled 
forty days, until they reached a river they could not cross, prob- 
ably the Tennessee. They came to a large Indian town called 
Napicnoca, well supplied with provisions. Having sent mes- 
sengers back to De Luna, he marched his force to that place, 
and afterwards a party moved onward to a country abounding 
in chestnut and hickory nuts. The Indians spoke of De Soto's 
forces having l)een through and ravaged their country. After 
wandering around, seeking a rich country for occupation, De 
Luna's men finally returned to Pensacola to await supplies and 



60 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

reinforcements. These soon arrived, and De Luna desired to 
return to the good lands his people had found, with the view of 
making a settlement, but a majority of his men were deter- 
mined to leave the country. A considerable number returned 
to Mexico on the provision vessels, but De Luna remained at 
Pensacola awaiting instructions from the viceroy, who, dis- 
couraged by the reports he received, recalled De Luna and 
abandoned the project for the settlement and occupation of 
Florida. 

It seems evident that De Luna's forces passed through the 
comparatively poor pine lands of southern Alabama and 
reached the border of the richer lands on the Coosa and Ten- 
nessee and perhaps the Cumberland Eiver. 

The expedition of De Luna possesses much interest as being 
the first settlement ujion and temj^orary occupation by Euro- 
peans, of Pensacola, in 1559— GO, and an exploration of Alabama 
and Tennessee. It was, moreover, the last of the abortive ex- 
peditions which for upwards of fifty years had successively 
visited Florida. De Luna left Pensacola only al)out a year be- 
fore Pibaut, in 15G2, came to the eastern shore and landed at 
the mouth of the St. John's and built Charlesfort in South 
Carolina. 

Had this well-equipped expedition of De Luna entered Mo- 
bile Bay, and with boats ascended the Alabama River, they 
would with comparative ease have reached the rich lands of the 
delta and northern Alabama, and could have placed settlements 
on the river in easy communication with their vessels at the 
mouth of the river. This they failed to ascertain, and lost the 
opportunity of acquiring a foothold in a part of the country 
which would easily have supported them. 



CHAPTEE XII 

The coining of French Hiignenots to Florida under Ribaut — The settle- 
ment at Port Royal and its desertion — Esca2)e of the colonists to 
France. 

A.D. 1562 

We luave hitherto accompanied through the wilds of Florida 
the cavaliers of Spain, who, with the sound of the trumpet and 
tlie hattle cry of Santiago, carried devastation and slaughter 
along their inarch. Their jjrincipal ol)ject was the acquisition 
of gold, silver, and pearls. A country which promised amjde 
reward to the patient and industrious hushandman had no at- 
traction for them. They desired to con([uc'r and rob the peo- 
ple, not to sul)due tlie soil. They had been corrupted and 
engorged with the plunder of Mexico and the spoils of Peru. 
They sought not to create wealth, but to seize and appropriate 
it wherever found, and it mattered little to them what suffering 
they caused the unhappy natives of the land if, either by torture 
or destruction, they could force the discovery of their treasures. 

Their efforts in the great region then called Florida had so 
far proved fruitless. Where they had looked for easy conquest 
and great reward they had found only privation and toil, and 
had met generally races fierce and implacaljle, who lacked only 
the means of offensive warfare to sweep the invaders from their 
shores. 

Ponce de Leon, D'Ayllon, Xarvaez, and their followers, had 
fled or perished ingloriously, and the remnant of De Soto's 
forces, baffled in all their efforts, had barely escaped with their 
lives into Mexico. 



62 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

The fruitless expedition of De Luna had failed ir its pur- 
})ose, and the whole of the vast country from Mexico to the 
Polar Seas, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, at the end of 
fifty years from the landing of Ponce de Leon, contained not a 
single settlement of the white race. The dreams of conquest 
were over, and the mere adventurers were well satisfied to leave 
in i)eace that which they had heen told was "the richest country 
in the world." An entirely dilferent class of persons now made 
their appearance on the shores of Florida, whose princi])al aim 
was colonization and settlement. They were of a dilferent race, 
and had come from different motives. 

The weak and vacillating Charles IX. was king of France, 
and the Admiral de Chastellan, Letter known as the famous 
Coligny, was at the head of the Protestant party. Civil war 
raged between the votaries of the two religious bodies into 
which the French people were divided. 

"^Fhe transatlantic discoveries and settlements of the Span- 
iards in Mexico, Peru, and the Spanish Main suggested to the 
astute mind of the admiral the founding beyond the sea a new 
emi)ire, which might extend the possessions of France, and at 
the same time strengthen and, in case of need, afford a refuge 
io the Huguenots if borne down in their contest at home. A 
French expedition was fitted out, and sailed in Felu'uary, 15G2, 
consisting of two good ships, under the command of Capt. 
Jean Eibaut, an officer of much experience and considerable 
reputation. A prosperous voyage brought them directly to 
the coast of Florida, in the neighborhood of St. Augustine. 
Sailing thence northward, they discovered the entrance of the 
St. John's lliver, where they landed, and put up near the mouth 
of the river a small monument of stone, on which was engraved 
the arms of France. They named the river the Eiver May, be- 
cause they entered it on the first day of that month. Eeem- 
barking, they passed on about ninety leagues to the north, and 
entered the splendid harl)or of Port Royal and anchored. After 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 63 

examining the country in that vicinity, Ribaut decided to plant 
his colony at this locality. After a spirited a])peal to their 
})atriotisni and love of glory, he was able to select from his com- 
pany twenty-five who were willing to remain as the nucleus of 
a colony, while he returned to France for reinforcements and 
supplies. 

Before leaving, a fort was erected upon a small island 
and named Charlesfort. The garrison was placed under the 
command of Cai)tain Albert. A supply of ammuni^tion and 
provisions was left, and, with a parting salute of the artillery 
from the vessels, replied to from the fort, llibaut's vessels left 
the infant settlement, and the destinies of New France centered 
in that little fort. The Indians were friendly, and everything 
promised fair for the future welfare of the little garrison. 

After liibaut had left. Captain Albert made an excursion to 
a country called Ouade, ])robably on the Savannah Itiver, 
whei'e he v/as sujjplied with corn by the chief " and given a 
nund^er of exceedingly fair pearls, two stones of fine crystal, and 
certain silver ore which the Indians said was obtained from a 
part of tlie country about ten days' distance, and that the people 
there dig the ore at the foot of a certain high mountain," re- 
ferring evidently to the mining region of upper Georgia. 

It liad been the expectation of liibaut when he left the col- 
ony tliat lie would 1)e able to immediately return with a much 
larger force, provided with everything necessary to establish a 
l)ermanent settlement. When he reached France civil war was 
raging ; nothing could be done to effect this object, and the 
little garrison at Charlesfort was for the time obliged to be 
neglected. 

Anxiously did the garrison at Charlesfort await the prom- 
ised return of Ribaut. Their provisions were becoming ex- 
hausted, and they scanned in vain day by day the horizon in 
the hope of descrying the sails of their countrymen, but none 
came in view, and with disa})pointment came discontent. Their 



64 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

captain became exacting and tj^rannical, and the men careless 
and disobedient. A dilHculty arising one day with one Guer- 
hiche, a poor drummer, he was ordered by the captain to be 
hung ; another he ordered placed on an island to starve. 
Alarmed for their own safety, it was determined by the rest to 
take the life of the captain, which was soon accomplished. After 
the death of Captain Albert they chose one Nicolas Barre as 
their captain. Months had passed since Eibaut was to have 
returned, and, finally despairing of his return, they determined 
to go ])ack to France. They had no ship car})enter among them, 
but made out to build a small pinnace. They caulked it with 
moss, nuule tlie cords of ])almt'ttoes, and made sails of their 
shirts and linen. In this miserable little vessel, caulked with 
moss and with such sails and cordage, this little band ventured 
to attempt to cross the stormy ocean whieli se])arated tliem from 
their native land. It would seem as though the first moderate 
gale would overwhelm their frail bark. They had provided but 
a meager supply of ])rovisions for their long voyage, and, 
although the calm weather they experienced was favora])le to 
their safety, they were soon in danger of starvation. Listlessly 
iloating upon the glassy sea, l^ecalmed for many days, they 
were reduced to terrible extremities, until at last they cast lots 
as to who should be sacrificed for the jjreservation of the rest, 
and, the lot falling on Le Clerc, he was killed, and his flesh di- 
vided equally, "a thing so pitiful," says the chronicler, "that 
juy pen is loathe to write it." Providentially they soon after 
fell in with an English ship and were rescued. It seems won- 
derful that they should have escaped at all, for ])robably so 
crazy a craft never crossed the Atlantic. 

The French never returned to reoccupy Charlesfort, and its 
exact location is not now definitely known, but it is supposed to 
have been on one of the islands near Beaufort, S. C. 



CHAPTEE XIII 

The second French riugueiiot expedition to Florida under Rene de Lau- 
donnierc — Tlie huihling of Fort Caroline on the St. Jolm'.s River — 
Incidents and adventures of the French — Tiic arrival of an English 
fleet under Sir John Hawkins. 

A.D. 1564 

The civil Avar prevailing in Franco iircvented any immediate 
-steps being taken for the succor and reinforcement of the little 
band left at Charlesfort. As soon, however, as peace was re- 
stored measures were taken to equip another expedition for the 
colonization of Florida. 

Three small vessels, respectively of one hundred and twenty, 
one hundred, and sixty tons burden, were provided by Coligny 
and placed under command of Rene de Laudonniere, who had 
accompanied Ribaut in the former expedition. Those who had 
returned from Charlesfort had probably reached France before 
the new expedition was ready to depart. The company which 
embarked with Laudonniere was made up of scions of good fam- 
ilies seeking adventures in a new country, artisans, sailors, and 
soldiers, but apparently of few agriculturists. Laudonniere him- 
self, if the pictures in De Bry bear any resemblance to him, was 
of very small stature, but intelligent and well informed. 

The expedition sailed from Havre on the 23d of April, loGI, 
and, taking the usual route by the Canary Isles for the West 
Indies, arrived on the coast of Florida on the 22d of June. They 
went on sliore and wore received in a friendly manner by the 
Indians, a number of whom had gathered on the shore with 
5 



00 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

their principal chief. Laiidonniere named the river the River of 
Dolphins, on account of the number of dolphins (porpoises) 
which he saw in its waters. He describes the location as hav- 
ing a shallow bar, and within the river branching, one branch 
to the north and the other to the south, which would seemingly 
identify the location as the harbor of St. Augustine. 

Iveturning on Ijoard, they sailed to the north and arrived at 
the entrance of the St. John's, which Eibaut, in 1562, had 
named the River May, and, upon binding, the French were con- 
ducted l)y the natives to the column near the mouth of the 
river which had been set up by Ribaut. On the following day 
Laudonniere landed Mdth some of his men and ascended the river 
to a high blutf, where he went on shore. Two of his officers 
made a reconnoissance inland, where they met a party of 
natives, among whom were two seemingly very old men. Upon 
interrogation as to their age, they were shown by the younger 
of tlie two, five generations of his descendants, and told that the 
other old man was his father, and, as well as they could gather 
from him, the younger of the two was at least two hundred and 
fifty years old, which speaks well of the health of the country, 
if we believe their story. Returning to his vessels, Laudonniere 
coasted as far as the Nassau and St. Mary's Rivers, which 
they named the Seine and the Somme, and landed on Amelia 
Island, called Guale by the Indians, where they were hospitably 
entertained l)y the chief. They made no effort to return to the 
al)andoned Charlesfort, but decided to return to the River May 
and make their settlement there on its southern shore, near the 
liigh l)luff which he had before examined, believing that the 
soil and other advantages of that location were better than 
Charlesfort or any point south of the River May — a fatal deter- 
mination wliich led to the eventual destruction of the colony. 

Having decided upon the location, ho commanded the 
trum])et to sound, and asscml)led liis ])('0]>lo to return tluinks 
for their safe arrival, and commenced work upon thi." fcrt, whicli 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 67 

was laid out in the form of a triangle, all laboring assiduously 
at its construction. 

An expedition went up the river in boats for a distance of 
twenty leagues and came to an Indian town called Thimagua, 
and by the Indians of this town were told of nine other caciques 
or kings. The name of one, " Mucoso," will be recalled in con- 
nection with the story of Juan Ortiz. From time to time boat 
expeditions were made to the tribes settled along the river, and 
Laudonniere had frequent invitations to assist the chiefs in 
their Wars with one another, and on some occasions, from mo- 
tives of policy, took sides in their quarrels. 

In August a stroke of lightning set fire to the woods near the 
fort and caused a great deal of damage to the Indians. They 
ascribed this to the powerful artillery of the French, and begged 
that they would not shoot any more their big guns. Encourag- 
ing this belief, Laudonniere told the chief that he could have 
fired his cannon all the way to reach his house, some miles dis- 
tant, if he had chosen, but that he fired only half way to show 
them his power. All this the Indians credited, and would not 
come near the fort for some time. 

In September one of the Frenchmen pretended that, by the 
secret power of magic, he had discovered the location of gold 
and silver far up the river, and said that Laudonniere was in- 
tending to conceal it from them. Acting upon the credulity of 
others, he soon organized a conspiracy to make way with Laudon- 
niere. About this time Laudonniere dispatched a small vessel 
to France, and sent with it seven or eight whose fidelity he sus- 
pected. He was subsequently prostrated by fever, and while in 
this condition the discontented conspired together and seized 
and confined him in a vessel in the river for fifteen days. 

To facilitate explorations by water, he had built two small 
vessels. These the conspirators seized, and, taking supplies 
from the fort, set out ujion a freebooting expedition against 
the Spaniards or any others whom they might meet. The ves- 



68 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

sels were separated ; one of them captured the first vessel they 
met and took jjossession of it, abandoning their own. After 
making another capture, they were themselves taken and most 
of them killed. The other vessel, being pursued, returned to 
Fort Caroline, and Laudonniere had them tried by court-martial 
and the four leaders sentenced to be hung. It is related that 
when they found tlieir proximity to Fort Caroline, having 
drunk much wine, they held a mock court-martial. One pre- 
tended to be Captain Laudonniere, another the judge ; another, 
after he had heard the matter pleaded, concluded thus : " Make 
you your causes as good as it pleases you, but if,when you come 
to Fort Caroline, the captain causes you not to be hung, I will 
never take him for an honest man." Others thought, " his 
choler being passed, he would easily forget the matter." Being 
out of provisions, however, they were obliged to enter the river 
and submit to Laudonniere. The only modification of the sen- 
tence of death upon the four leaders was that, being soldiers, 
they should first be shot before they were hung. 

Being led out to execution, one of them endeavored to excite 
a rescue, but they were all four shot and hung upon gibbets at 
the mouth of the river. Tiius early did this sad emblem of 
crime and human punishment succeed the planting of the cross 
Upon our shores. 

La^^donniere was informed that there were two white men liv- 
ing at a distance among the natives. He at once sent word to 
the chiefs of the neighboring tribes that he would give a large 
reward to have them brought to him. He soon obtained their 
delivery, and found that they were Spaniards who had been 
wrecked fifteen years previously upon the keys called the 
Martyrs, near Key West. They said that a considerable num- 
ber were saved, and among them several women, who had mar- 
ried among the Indians and had families, so that it is probable 
that their descendants may be among some of the aborigines to 
this day. 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 69 

The two Spaniards regaled Laudonniere with a fabulous ac- 
count of the treasure which the king of Calos had stored up, 
in part from the wrecks of treasure-ships, and in part from 
other tribes with whom he traded, and told the French captain 
that if he would go to Calos with one hundred soldiers he could 
capture the whole of the king's treasure. They also told Laudon- 
niere that the women of Calos, when they danced, wore around 
their waists a plate of gold, and the men as well, and so heavy as 
to impede their motions in the dance. However enticing all this 
was, either Laudonniere did not credit it or else felt his force 
unequal to the undertaking. Among other excursions which 
were made, one was a visit to the widow of King Hia-caia, 
whose domain seems to have been in the region about St. 
Mary's, Ga. She received them very courteously, and sent back 
the boats full of beans, acorns, and baskets of cassina, which was 
used to make a beverage. She was regarded as the most beauti- 
ful of all the Indian women, and was so much honored by her 
subjects that they always carried her upon a palanquin resting 
on their shoulders, and would not allow her to go on foot. In 
De Bry there is an engraving of a fair queen thus borne, with 
her attendants surrounding her in great state. Around her 
neck is a cordon of pearls ; bracelets and anklets adorn her per- 
son. On each side walk stately chiefs, holding large feather 
shades or fans. Beautiful young girls follow next to the queen, 
bearing baskets of fruit and flowers, and then come warriors and 
household guards. 

Another excursion was made up the Eiver St. John's to the 
island of Edelano (Drayton's Island), at the outlet of Lake 
George, which they described as situated in the midst of the 
river, " as fair a place as any that may be seen through the 
world, for, in the space of three leagues it may contain in 
length and breadth, a man may see an exceedingly rich country 
and nuirvelously peopled. At the coming out of the village of 
Edelano to go unto the river's side a man must pass through an 



70 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

alley aljont three hundred ])aces long and fifty paces hroa<l, on 
hoth sides whereof great trees are planted ; the boughs thereof 
are tied like an arch, and meet together so artificially that a man 
would think that it were an arl)or made of ])urpose as fair, 
I say, as any in all CHiristcndom, although it l)e altogether 
natural." 

The colony at Fort Caroline had landed on the 29th of June, 
15G4, and had expected reinforcements and sui)plies by the 
month of April, 1565. They had shown very little discretion 
in husbanding their resources, and (hiring the winter montlis 
no aid could 1)e had from the Indians. The exjiected supplies 
did not come, and by ]\Iay they were suffering from scarcity of 
food, and would have starved but for the fish they had ob- 
tained from the Indians. They had nearly exhausted the stores 
of the Indians, and the season wearing on with no relief in 
sight, they determined to leave the country as soon as they 
could repair their vessel or construct another. They were 
now in great straits to keep from s+" "^ation, and besought the 
Indians to furnish them with food, l)ut the natives, probably 
having little to spare, became very exacting in the matter of 
payment, and the supply of exchangeable articles soon gave 
out, and the French commander had neither provisions for im- 
mediate wants nor to provision their vessel for their projected 
departure. 

Thus rendered almost desperate, some of them thought they 
might obtain the food they needed by capturing one of the 
chiefs and exacting as a ransom the supplies they needed. They 
accordingly seized Olata-Utina, a great chief, and held him pris- 
oner. The Indians of his tribe, however, instead of ransoming 
their king, elected a new one, believing that if they complied 
with the French captain's command, after obtaining the sup- 
])lies that he wished, he would put Olata-Utina to death. Some 
of the other tribes hostile to Olata-Utina were willing to bribe 
the French with supplies if they would kill their prisoner, so 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 71 

thoy nl)tainc(1 no l)oncfit from making the Indian king a pris- 
oner, but embittered the Indians fruitlessly. Later on they 
obtained some relief from the new corn in the Indian fields near 
them, and the fair queen before mentioned was very liberal 
toward them. In the mean time they })uslied forward with 
diligence their prejjarations for departiire. 

In August there appciU'ed off the bar four vessels, being 
the fleet of Sir John Hawkins, sailing under the Englisli flag, 
returning from an expedition to the Spanish Main. They 
stopped* to obtain fresh water, and were received and entertained 
by Laudonniere with tlie best he had, even, he says, " killing cer- 
tain sheep and pcndtry which he had hitherto carefully pre- 
served to stock the country withal." 

Sir John, seeing tlie distress they were in, generously offered 
to transport them all back to France, which Laudonniere de- 
clined because, he said, he was in doubt of Sir John's motives, 
and was afraid he might set up some claim to Florida for the 
English sovereign. 

The French garrison, however, had no such scruples, and 
said that they would go with the English unless Laudonniere 
made some provision himself for their leaving. The French 
comnmnder finally purchased one of the smallest of the Eng- 
lish vessels, in payment of which he gave four pieces of ar- 
tillery, with powder and ball. Seeing how short of provisions 
the French were. Sir John gave them twenty barrels of 
meal, five barrels of beans, a hogshead of salt, and one hun- 
dred pounds of wax to make candles with, and, seeing the 
French soldiers were barefoot, he added fifty pairs of shoes. 
As soon as the English left, Laudonniere hastened his prepa- 
rations for departure, and by the 15th of August they had 
everything ready, and were only waiting for fair winds to 
embark. 

It was with no })leasant feelings that they prej)ared to leave a 
country to which they seem to have become attached, and which 



72 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

they believed to be rich and fertile, but in which they were un- 
able to remain for want of supplies for present needs. And 
why was this the case with these .people and almost every other 
European settlement made in America ? The rivers and lakes 
abounded in fish, the shores and creeks with oysters, clams, 
etc., and the ground was fertile and seed quick in growth. One 
of Sir John Hawkins's expedition, who describes the condition 
in which they found the French, says : " Notwithstanding the 
great want which the Frenchmen had, the ground doth yield 
victuals sufficient, if they would have taken pains to get the 
same ; but they, being soldiers, desired to live by the sweat of 
other men's brows. The ground yieldeth naturally grapes in 
great store, for in the time the Frenchmen were there they 
made twenty hogsheads of wine. Also it yieldeth roots passing 
good, deers marvelous good, with divers other beasts and fowl 
serviceable to the use of men. These be things wherewith a 
man may live, having maize wherewith to make bread, for maize 
maketh good, savory bread and cakes as fine as flour." The 
idea seems very strange to us that people should starve on the 
banks of the St. John's, waiting for food to be brought to them 
from across the ocean. 

Among the other things noticed by this Englishman was the 
use of tobacco, which he says the Indians sucked through a long 
cane with an earthen cup at the end, with fire, and the smoke so 
satisfied their hunger that they could live four or five days with- 
out meat or drink. The Indian houses, he says, are few, but so 
large that a hundred can lodge in them, having rafters covered 
with palmetto leaves, with only one small place divided ofl^ for 
their king and queen ; in the middle of the house a hearth 
upon which they build a fire, " and sleep upon certain pieces of 
wood hewn in for the bowing of their backs, and another place 
made high for their heads." 

On the 28th of August the wind was favorable, and Laudon- 
niere prepared to set sail for France with two vessels, when the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 73 

whole current of affairs was suddenly changed by the appear- 
ance in the offing of sails, and soon after a large vessel ap- 
peared, followed by others, which were preparing to enter the 
river. What vessels were these, friends or foes, they anxiously 
sought to know. 



CHAPTER XIV 

Tlie French expedition under llilj.iul, sent by Coliijny, to relieve Fort 
Caroline — Simultaneous Spanish expedition under Rlenendez to expel 
the Huguenots from Florida — Capture of Fort Caroline by Menendez 
and massacre of the Huguenot garrison. 

A.D. 1565 

The settlement at Fort Caroline, although neglected by 
France, had not been forgotten by its illustrious patron, l)ut the 
civil commotions which had disttirbed the country had delayed 
Ibe succor which was so much needed. Eeports had been re- 
ceived in France, through those sent away l)y Laudonniere, un- 
favorable to him, and Coligny determined to send out Ribaut, 
who had commanded the first expedition. A fleet of seven ves- 
sels was equipped with ample provisions for a permanent occu- 
pation of the country. Some six hundred and fifty persons 
embarked, and among them representatives of some of the first 
families in France. 

By some means, and, as charged by many, through direct in- 
formation from the French court, notice of the Huguenot expe- 
dition under Ribaut was made known to Philip II. of Spain. 
The Spanish crown had long claimed an exclusive right to 
Florida, on the shores of which the royal standard had many 
times been unfurled, and under this designation all of the main- 
land, extending to unknown limits, was included. The Hugue- 
not expedition of 1562 and the succeeding one of 1564, and the 
settlement made by the latter on the St. John's, must have l^e- 
come known to the Spanish king and regarded as an infringe- 
ment upon his rights and claims to the new world. It added 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 75 

not a little, imdonhtodl}', to the sensitivenos? of the Spanisli 
nionarcli, tliat it was made by the French Huguenots, regarded 
by the bigoted king and his court as most detestable people, 
who, of all others, should not be allowed to settle in Amer- 
ica. In view of the misfortunes which had attended every 
Sj)anish expedition to the shores of Florida, it seems as though 
it would have been an almost hopeless task to procure the means, 
or the men, for another enterprise in that direction; and so un- 
doubtedly it would have been but for the character of the man 
who undertook it and the religious motives which urged him 
on, and which have so often proved that no stronger passion can 
control the human heart than religious zeal, even among those 
who conform to few of the obligations of a religious life. There 
was at the Spanish court at that period an unemployed man of 
considerable distinction, Don Pedro Menendez d'Aviles, who 
had acquired a high reputation by the success of many naval ex- 
peditions which he had conducted. He had learned that his 
son, who had sailed from Mexico in a treasure-ship, had become 
wrecked off the coast of Florida and was a captive among the 
Indians who inhabited its shores. 

This man, soured by some difficulties and annoyances he had 
encountered, sorrowing over the captivity of a favorite son, 
whose fate, if living, presented itself to him as worse than death, 
and largely imbued with the spirit of promoting the propaga- 
tion of the faith among the heathen, was led to seek the com- 
mand of an expedition to Florida. His own principal thought 
was, no doubt, the recovery of his soji, but the leading con- 
sideration which he placed before the king was the salvation of 
tlie souls of the tribes of Florida from the ruinous contact of 
the heretical sect. He also suggested the importance of a more 
thorough examination of the shores, harbors, currents, and 
soundings of the coasts in order to lessen the great losses sus- 
tained l)y shipwreck on those shores. 

Although the sad fate of Narvaez's and De Soto's expeditions 



76 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

must have been fresh in their minds, the name of Florida had 
not lost its charm, and the appeal of Menendez for followers 
was responded to by greater numbers than he could take with 
him. The king was to furnish five hundred men-at-arms, but 
only two hundred and forty-five were actually provided. A 
force of two thousand and six hundred persons was embarked 
on thirty-four vessels of various sizes, the largest of which was 
rated at one thousand tons, and carried over one thousand per- 
sons, a large vessel and a very large number of persons for that 
day to be placed on one vessel. Menendez had expended in the 
equipment of the expedition nearly one million ducats, expend- 
ing all of his own fortune and all the means he could obtain by 
loan or gift from his friends. He carried with him twenty- 
six clerical persons, priests, brothers, and monks. He was 
authorized by his agreement to take with him five hundred 
slaves, with which he purposed to clear lands and put up build- 
ings for settlement and cultivation, but they were not em- 
barked. 

The expedition under Eibaut left Dieppe on the 33d of May, 
1505, numbering seven sail, and carrying five hundred men, 
besides some families of artisans who accompanied the expedi- 
tion. They were delayed a long time by contrary winds, and 
did not reach the coast of Florida until the latter part of the 
month of August. Touching at Mosquito, they found a Span- 
iard who had been wrecked upon the coast twenty years before, 
who informed them, upon the report of the natives, that Laudon- 
niere's colony was about fifty leagues northward. Coasting 
along, they sounded the entrance of the Eiver Dolphins (St. 
Augustine), and proceeded northward and entered the mouth of 
the Eiver May (St. John's) on the 39th of August, 1565.' Un- 
knowing of Eibaut's ex^jedition for his relief, Laudonniere was 
on the eve of departure. Only the three smaller vessels were 
able to enter the river, and for several days they were employed 
in landing the stores and provisions, leaving on board only a few 







PORTRAIT OK PEDRO MENENDEZ 



78 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

besides the ordinary crew. Had Rilmut arrived a day later, 
Laudonnierc would have been gone and the whole course of 
alfairs changed. 

Menendez had pushed forward his preparations with the 
greatest vigor, especially when he knew the French had sailed, 
of which he seems to have received the fullest particulars, and 
he wislied to reach Florida before the French had time to fortify 
and entrench themselves. Leaving part of his vessels to follow 
him, he sailed from Cadiz on the 1st of July, 15G5, something 
over a month later tlian l\ibaut had sailed from Dieppe. Me- 
nendez encountered a severe storm in the vicinity of the 
Canaries, and when he reached Puerto Eico on the 9th of 
August lie had but a third part of his expedition with him. 
Learning that a dispatch vessel, sent with orders to him from 
Spain, had been intercepted by the French, he decided not to 
wait for his missing vessels, l)ut to inish on to Florida after re- 
fitting as well as he could. On the 28th of August, being the 
day devoted in the calendar of the Eoman Church to St. 
Augustine, they came on the coast of Florida and landed near 
St. Augustine, to which, in honor of the day, they gave the 
name which it has now borne for more than three hundred 
years. Upon the same day, by a singular coincidence, Ribaut's 
fleet had cast anchor at the mouth of the St. John's Eiver, the 
two hostile fleets being thus within thirty miles of each other, 
and landing simultaneously, at the end of a voyage of more 
than three tliousand miles, each unknowing of the proximity of 
the other. 

It adds not a little to this concurrence of events to recall the 
fact that on the fourth of the same month the Englisli fleet 
under Sir John Hawkins had anchored at the mouth of the St. 
John's, thus bringing into close proximity the fleets of the three 
great nuiritime powers. 

The Spaniards on landing at St. Augustine had learned from 
the Indians that the French were at twenty leagues' distance 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 79 

to the north, and that Ribaiit's vessels were at the mouth of the 
liivcr St. John. 

K council of war was now hold by the Spanish captains, a ma- 
jority of whom were in favor of withdrawing to Hispaniola and 
})reparing to attack the French in tlie spring with a more power- 
ful force. But Menendez declared his intention of making the 
attack at once. At daybreak the Spanish vessels left their an- 
chorage and began to move up towards the French transports. 
These, distrusting the intentions of the Spaniards, hoisted sail 
ami prepared to slip their cables, as they had few men on board. 
Contirmed in their suspicions by the movements of the Spanish 
vessels, officers of Eibaut's fleet put to sea and were fired upon 
l)y the Spaniards at too great a distance to inflict any injury. 
Pursuit was kept up all day, but they were unable to overtake 
the French, and at nightfall al)andoned the pursuit and re- 
turned to St. Augustine, whither they were followed at a safe 
distance by one of the French vessels to observe their further 
nu)vements. There they were seen to disembark their forces, 
stores, and munitions, three vessels entering the harbor and 
three remaining outside. 

The French vessel thereupon returned and reported to liibaut 
tiiat the Spaniards had landed and were fortifying themselves. 
l\ibaut at once conceived the idea of surprising the vessels lying 
outside, and, by the capture of their ships, preventing any mo- 
lestation of the French colony. Calling a council of his officers, 
he laid his plans before them. Laudonniere and some others 
thought the risk too great, especially as the weather was suljject 
to storms, Imt Ivibaut determined to follow out his own })lans. 

He accordingly reembarked his own force, and witli them 
most of the able-bodied men belonging to Laudonniere's com- 
mand, leaving only an invalid force with that officer to defend 
Fort Caroline. Ivibaut did not anticipate an absence of more 
than two days, as the S])aniards were within fifteen leagues of 
him. He was, however, by a fatal mischance, too early or too 



80 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

late, for, sailing on September 10th, he had hardly gotten to 
sea before he encountered a terrible storm, which drove him 
helplessly before it far down the coast. 

In the mean time his rival, Menendez, was influenced by a 
similar desire to act promptly and attack the Huguenot settle- 
ment before they had made their possession more secure. He 
proposed to his officers an expedition by land against Fort Caro- 
line. His own force numbered about six hundred, and he sup- 
posed the French to have about the same number. 

Having secured guides and being well informed of the loca- 
tion of the French fort and of the route for reaching it, he 
determined, against the advice of his officers, to undertake the 
expedition. The storm which now raged along the coast, ac- 
companied with a deluge of rain, seemed to favor his design of 
surprising the French at a time and from a quarter which they 
could hardly anticipate. He felt almost sure that the French 
fleet was at sea, and that, even if it escaped shipwreck, it would 
be some days before it could regain the harbor. 

Eibaut had been gone a week when Menendez, on September 
17th, marched out from his camp at St. Augustine at the head 
of five hundred men to make the attack on Fort Caroline. His 
course lay over a flat country, which, on account of the heavy 
rains, made their progress very difficult. Guided by the Indian 
chiefs who were inimical to the French, they were three days in 
marching over the forty miles which lay between St. Augustine 
and Fort Caroline. They waded rather than marched most of 
the way, as the low places were flooded and the streams over 
their banks. Many of the officers and men wished to return, 
and much dissatisfaction was felt, but the character and energy 
of their leader prevented their deserting him. 

In the mean time Laudonniere, after Eibaut's departure, had 
done his liest to repair the injury which had been previously 
done to the fort in expectation of its abandonment, and en- 
deavored to infuse some spirit into and restore some order to 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 81 

his invalid garrison. He himself was very unwell, and had only 
seventeen well men in the fort. Of Eibaut's men whom he had 
left heliind, there were some who had never drawn a sword, 
and artisans and servants made up the rest, in all about two 
hundred and forty, counting soldiers, artisans, lackeys, women, 
and children. Two captains of the watch were appointed, 
and a strict guard kept up for several days ; but the terrible 
tempest which prevailed relaxed their vigilance, not expecting 
an attack at such a time. The night of the 19th of September 
was very stormy, and at dawn the sentinels were withdrawn 
under shelter, and the officer of the watch himself retired to his 
(juarters. At break of day the forces of Menendez silently 
reached the vicinity of the fort, and at once made an attack. 
A sudden rush, a quick alarm, a surprise, a feeble resistance by 
a bewildered garrison, and the fort was taken. Laudonniere, 
from his own account, tried to rally his men, and fought in per- 
son as long as there was hope, but, finding himself recognized 
and i)ursued, lie tied to the neighlioring forest, and there fell in 
witli other fugitives from the fort. 

In tlie first assault on the fort many of those within were cut 
down witliout regard to age or sex, a statement which may well 
be believed in view of the more deliberate cruelty practiced 
afterwards. The (Spanish account of the capture of the fort 
admits tliat an indist-riiniiiate slaughter took i)lace until checked 
])y an order from Menendez that no woman, child, or cripple 
under the age of fifteen should lie injured, by which, it is said, 
seventy persons were saved ; " the rest were killed." Some of 
the prisoners were hung upon the neighboring trees, and this 
inscri})tion placed over them : "No por Franceses, sino jior 
Luteranos " (" Xot as Frenchmen, but as Lutherans "). 

Menendez changed the name of the fort to San Mateo, in 
honor of the apostle whose festival occurred on the day subse- 
quent to its capture. They also changed the name of the River 
May, given to it by the French, to San Mateo. Menendez 

6 



82 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

repaired the fort and made such arrangements as were requisite 
to fortify the place against an attack should Eibaut return, 
leaving a garrison of three hundred men-at-arms, under the 
command of Gonzalez de Villa Real. Before leaving he had 
crosses erected in prominent situations, and marked out the site 
of a church to he huilt of the timber which Laudonniere had 
gotten out for building vessels. 

Taking the remainder of his men with him, Menendez re- 
turned to St. Augustine, meeting even greater difficulties than 
before in crossing the swamps and streams. 

His arrival at St. Augustine was signalized by great rejoicing; 
a solemn mass was celebrated and a TeDeum sung in commemo- 
ration of the victory, if such it can be called, over the handful 
of Frenchmen whom he surprised and overcame with little 
effort and apparentl}^ without loss. The Spanish account says 
that there were one hundred and forty-two of the French colony 
killed, but, as only twenty-six escaped from the massacre, it 
leaves seventy-two unaccounted for, most of whom must un- 
doubtedly be added to the number of the slain, although a few 
of those under fifteen may have survived the massacre. 



CHAPTER XV 

Shipwreck of Kibaut's vessels on the coast of Florida — Ribaut and his 
conij)aiuons escape with their lives, and are massacred in cold blood 
by Meuendez. 

A.D. 1565 

RiBAi'T, as ^ye have seen, embarked all of his own able- 
l)0(lied force, with the better part of the garrison of Fort Caro- 
Hiie, in order to make a descent upon St. Augustine, which 
he felt justified in doing, as the vessels of Meuendez had al- 
ready fired upon his fleet and given warning of their liostile 
intentions. 

He had hardly set sail wlicn one of those violent tempests 
from the northeast, not uncommon in that region in September, 
arose and, not having sea room, they were unable to avoid being 
driven on shore. Fortunately, owing to the sandy, shelving 
coast, they were enabled to reach shore safely ; but all the ves- 
sels were wrecked along the coast between Matanzas and Cape 
Canaveral. Eibaut and some two hundred and eight of his 
people were cast on shore between Mosquito inlet and Matanzas 
inlet. 

Their first idea was to communicate with Fort Caroline, but 
they were unable to march there along the coast, and were not 
aware of their proximity to the St. John's Elver. 

Meuendez soon learned from the Indians of their shipwreck 
and where Eibaut and his men then were, and, taking a small 
force with him, proceeded to INfatanzas inlet to reconnoiter their 
situation. 

Eibaut was made aware of the arrival of Menendez's force on 



84 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

the north side of the inlet, and sent two of his officers to confer 
with the Sjjaniards. On asking to be allowed to send a boat to 
Fort Caroline, the French captains were informed of the cap- 
ture of Fort Caroline. They then asked for vessels to return to 
France, but Menendez refused to grant any otlier terms than an 
unconditional surrender, intimating, however, that they might 
rely upon his clemency. 

Under the stress of dire necessity, with no avenue of escape 
open to them, the French agreed to surrender themselves to 
Menendez, and marched up to the inlet for that purpose. They 
were first required to surrender their arms, amounting to some 
seventy muskets and a few pistols. They were then conveyed 
across the inlet in boats ten at a time. As they came over 
Menendez received them and said to them that as he had but a 
small force with him and they were many, it would be neces- 
sary for his security that they should have their hands tied, 
whereupon the squads as they came over were taken out of 
sight of the landing and securely tied with their hands behind 
their backs. 

Menendez had given orders that at a certain point he had 
designated their guards should kill their prisoners without ex- 
ception. A few who professed to be Roman Catholics were 
spared and sent on to St. Augustine. 

It is said that when Ribaut and Ottigny saw their men thus 
tied they called to Menendez, reminding him of the promise to 
spare the lives of those who had confided in his honor, but all 
in vain. A soldier, by order of Menendez, thrust a dagger into 
the V)reast of the gallant Ribaut, and then slew Ottigny in the 
same manner. Ribaut, when he saw the fate that awaited him, 
began to recite the psalm Domine, memento mei (0 Lord, re- 
member me), and, that finished, said : " From earth we came 
and to earth we return; that twenty years of life more or less did 
not matter, and Menendez might do what he chose." 

One would have supposed that the noble Christian deport- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 85 

ment of Eibaiit would have touched the chivalry of Menendez's 
nature, and that the spectacle of a gentleman, his equal in rank, 
a brave and knightly soldier, reduced by shipwreck to suffering 
and helplessness, appealing to his generosity for aid and to his 
humanity for the lives of himself and his helpless, powerless, 
and disarmed fellow-sufferers, would have called forth some 
s])n I'k of sympathy from a heart still sore under the loss of a son 
wlio, like Eil)aut, had been cast shipwrecked upon the same 
sliores, and who, like him, was a helpless captive in the hands of 
liis enemies. But, alas! Menendez's was a nature full of deadly 
liatrcd towards tliose whose faith differed from his own, al- 
tliough tlioy all ])rofessed a belief in their dependence upon 
the same God, and hoped for salvation through the same nierci- 
fid Saviour. 

His heart was now almost roused to frenzy towards the un- 
fortunate Huguenots, cast, not in battle, but by misfortune 
into his hands. His apologist, De Solis, closes the drama with 
the words : *' The adelantado ordered them all to be killed." 

One of the Frenchmen, however, survived the blow intended 
to kill him and revived sufficiently to free himself from his 
tliongs, and made his escape to the Indians, by whom he was for 
a while befriended. iVt length he ventured to present himself 
at St. Augustine, where his life was spared, but he was reduced 
to the condition of a slave. Eventually he was sent to Havana, 
and, on his way from there to Portugal, the vessel was captured 
by the French, and he at length reached France to bear witness 
of the tragic fate of Eibaut and his companions at the hands of 
Menendez, who in his fury would not even accept a ransom of 
one hundred thousand dollars offered him for the safety of some 
of the sons of distinguished families wdio were in the expedition. 

The atrocity of the deed struck all Europe with horror even 
in that day, and the shocking story of the massacre of the 
Huguenots has been perpetuated from that day to this, stamp- 
ing the name of Menendez with a stain of infamy which no 



86 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

length of time will ever efface, as the name Matanzas indicates 
the scene of the tragedy. 

Of those who were shipwrecked two hundred either were not 
present or refused to join in the surrender made by Ribaut, and, 
withdrawing to the southward, made preparations for defense 
by building a small timber fort and prepared to construct ves- 
sels with which to leave the coast. Twenty days after the mas- 
sacre of Eibaut and his party, Menendez was informed by some 
Indians from down the coast that at a distance of eight days' 
journey southward, near Cape Canaveral, the French were build- 
ing a fort and a ship. Upon this information he manned some 
vessels to proceed along the coast, while he marched with a force 
of three hundred men by land to the neighborhood of the 
French fort. Upon his approach the Huguenots fled to the 
woods. A messenger was sent to them by Menendez, offering 
them safe protection and that they should be treated as well as 
Spaniards if they would come in. Upon this pledge of security 
one hundred and fifty of the number surrendered to Menendez, 
and, it is said, were well treated. The others sent word that 
they had rather be devoured by the Indians than place them- 
selves in the hands of the Spaniards. What was the future fate 
of these is unknown, but they probably either spent their lives 
among the natives or perished at their hands. 

Their fort was burned, their ship destroyed, and cannon 
spiked. The Spaniards built a small fort near by, to which 
tliey gave the name of Santa Lucia, in which they left a small 
garrison. The names of Santa Lucia and Canaveral still ad- 
here to that part of the coast, and recall the shipwreck of the 
Huguenots. 

The Spanish forces returned to St. Augustine accompanied 
l)y their prisoners, who were incorporated into the colony for 
the time being. Some eventually returned to France ; others, 
it is said, renouncing their faith and accepting that of their 
captors, remained permanently. Doubtless the blood of the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 87 

Huguenots, mingling with that of the Spaniards, has de- 
scended to our day in some of the families now resident in St. 
Augustine. 

We must now return to Laudonniere and the few survivors of 
Fort Caroline. After Kibaut's departure three small vessels 
remained to the French, one below the fort and two anchored 
in the mouth of the St. John's Eiver. One of the French 
vessels was called Le Levrier, and one was a vessel purchased 
from Sir John Hawkins, called the Pearl. 

By swimming, wading, and making their way through the 
low marshes along the shore, those who had escaped from Fort 
Caroline, to the number of twenty-six, had succeeded in getting 
on board these vessels. Six others who had escaped from 
^:he fort had gone back and surrendered, only to be put to 
death. 

The vessel called Le Levrier they concluded to abandon, 
and the refugees were divided between the other two vessels, 
one being commanded by Capt. Jean Ribaut and the other by 
■ Laudonniere. The Pearl, Eibaut's vessel, after a boisterous 
voyage, arrived at the port of Eochelle in France. Laudonniere's 
vessel, having less skillful navigators, made land at the port of 
Swansea, in Wales, about the middle of November, where 
Laudonniere landed and returned to France through England, 
sending the vessel to a French port. 

Thus ended for a time the efforts of the French to establish 
a colony in the southern part of the United States. The lilies 
of France had lieen trampled in the dust, and the royal stand- 
ard of Spain waved over St. Augustine, San IMateo, and San 
Lucia. 

The destruction of the Huguenots excited the utmost gratifi- 
cation at the court of Spain ; the acts of Menendez were ap- 
proved and commended by the bigoted and cruel Philip II., 
and even drew forth a letter of grateful commendation from the 
pent ill", Pius V. 



88 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Eibaut's fatal error in seeking to attack the Spaniards at St. 
Augustine by sea, where at best only his smallest vessels could 
have entered on account of the small depth of water on the bar, 
was the prime cause of the failure of the French Huguenots to 
establish the dominion of France over that region. With his 
own troops and Laudonniere's garrison and the defensive posi- 
iion of Fort Caroline, lie could not have been dislodged by Me- 
nendez, and would likely have been able to make St. Augustine 
untenable against a sulhcient force approaching it by land. 
As it was, everything favored ]\fenendez and contributed to the 
destruction of the French colony. 



CHArTER XVI 

The lroi>l)les which beset jMenendcz in fotiiiding his colony — Mutinies in 
every quarter — Explonilioiis made, and forts and missions established 
— Some priests nnirdered. 

A.D. 1565-1567 

Oke purpose of the Spanish expedition led by Menondcz was 
now accomplished. He had destroyed the French colony, and 
for the present, at least, had put an end to that much-despised 
sect, the Lutheran, establishing itself in the new world. His 
first necessity now was to strengthen his own position and guard 
against any attempt the French might make to reoccupy the 
country which he had come to claim for the exclusive posses- 
sion of the Spanish crown. 

His location at St. Augustine was in many respects a favor- 
aVile oue to ])laut a colony ; it was easily defended both by land 
and sea, and was likely to prove healthy, being surrounded by 
salt marshes and almost wholly free from exposure to miasma, 
so fatal to many new settlements. 

St. Augustine now occupies without doubt the identical loca- 
tion selected l)y Menendez. The Indian town called Seloy lay 
north of the present fort, and was the site of Menendez's first 
fort, wliich was constructed of logs, and surrounded on the 
land side by a ditch and ])alisades. Other buildings were 
erected to shelter the inhabitants, and a form of government 
based on that of Spanish towns was adopted. Among the 
first Ijuildings erected was, no doubt, a church in which the 
rites of the Roman Church were celebrated, the first Roman 
C'atliolif church erected on the Atlantic coast of Xorth Amer- 



90 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

ica. Menendez was recognized by the pope as a defender of 
tlie faith, and the interests of the Church were especially com- 
mended to his attention by Pope Pius V. 

After providing for the security and welfare of his garrison 
at St. Augustine, he proceeded to add to the defenses of San 
Mateo on the St. John's River, and erected additional defenses 
at the mouth of the river. He also sent out parties for the ex- 
ploration of the interior. 

The neighhoring tribes soon began to evince a hostile spirit 
towards the Spaniards. The soldiers of Menendez could not 
venture beyond the vicinity of the camp without being harassed 
by the arrows of the Indians, and day after day one after another 
of those who went out hunting or fishing were cut off, until 
more than a hundred men and several officers had fallen vic- 
tims. The Indians even came within the precincts of the camp, 
and on one occasion succeeded in setting fire to a magazine and 
a great number of thatched houses, causing great destruction 
of property and provisions and much suffering. 

Menendez finally determined to ask supplies from the gov- 
ernor of Cuba, and, receiving none from that quarter, sent a 
vessel to Campeachy to obtain them there. Up to this time he 
had in vain sought tidings of his lost son, and, while awaiting 
the return of the vessel from Campeachy, he determined to go 
in person and search that part of the coast where it was reported 
that his son luid been cast on shore, and, taking a smaller vessel, 
sailed along the coast southward. Landing at Cape Florida, he 
found tliere at an Indian town seven Spaniards, who with many 
others had Ijeen shipwrecked in the neighborhood some twenty 
years previously ; these alone had survived the cruelty and 
luirdships to which all had been subjected. This was in the 
country called Calos. He failed, however, to obtain any tidings 
of his son. 

Releasing his countrymen from their caj^tivity, Menendez 
received them on board his vessel and returned to St. Augustine 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 91 

much grieved at the failure to recover his son. Xew trials and 
dithculties awaited him on his return. Increasing distress at 
San Mateo and St. Augustine had created disaflt'ection. Both 
garrisons mutinied and determined to al)andon the country ; 
the officers left in command were unable to control the muti- 
neers at St. Augustine, who seized a vessel and sailed for the 
West Indies. Of the garrison at San Mateo all l)ut twenty 
inutinied and determined to leave ; a vessel arriving with pro- 
visions, they at once seized it, intending to go to the West In- 
dies or £eru. 

Menendez arrived after the mutineers had embarked but not 
yet sailed ; he vainly attempted to get them to return to duty. 
Only thirty-five of the one hundred and thirty-one on board 
were willing to remain ; these were put on a batteau, but before 
they could reach St. x\ugustine they were attacked by the In- 
dians and most of them killed. 

The mutineers sailed for C*uba, but were wrecked at Cape 
Florida, and remained captive among the Indians of Calos. Of 
the garrison at St. Augustine, over one hundred, led by Juan 
de Vicenti, forced Menendez to allow them to go to Puerto 
Eico ; crowded into a small vessel, they suffered from heat and 
sickness, and many died on the way. Many of the mutineers 
returned to Spain and spread unfavorable reports of the coun- 
try, preventing others from wishing to go there. 

Menendez now undertook to examine the coast and countries 
which lay north of him, visiting and making friendly overtures 
to the chiefs along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, 
and is supposed to have reached the Chesapeake. The points 
especially mentioned are Guale (Amelia Island), Avista, and 
St. Helena. He built forts at Avista and St. Helena. Return- 
ing, he ascended the St. John's River, visiting several Indian 
tribes on its borders. 

He afterwards revisited Guale, x\vista, and St. Helena, and 
left reliuious teachers to instruc-t the natives. Not very long 



92 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

afterwards the garrison left at St. Helena deserted, and, seizing 
a transport, made sail for Cuba, but were shipwrecked near 
Cape Florida, and fell into captivity with those who went from 
San Mateo. 

Further efforts were made to carry missions to the Indians, 
and several Jesuit fathers of some distinction wished to go 
among them. Father Martinez had landed on Fort George 
Island, and with three of his attendants was killed by the In- 
dians. Menendez, however, persevered, and built some small 
forts to protect the missions he established. At Tacabago 
he met in council twenty-nine chiefs and fifteen hundred 
Indiaus. Satouriara, the bitter enemy of the Spaniards, 
maintained an attitude of constant liostility. Menendez led 
tour detachments of seventy men against him with fruitless 
results. 

Within the eighteen months succeeding his arrival in Florida, 
Menendez had carefully examined the entire coast from Cape 
Florida to St. Helena, and probably much beyond; had navi- 
gated the Kiver St. John's well u]i to its head ; had built forts 
at San ]\Iateo, St. iVugustine, Avista, Quale, and St. Helena, 
and established block-houses at Tequesta, Calos, Tocobayo, 
and Coava, in all of which he had placed garrisons and religious 
teachers. In most of this work he had been personally en- 
gaged, while he was res])onsil)le for it all, and mind and body 
now required change and relaxation. 

Believing that the interests of the colony required his return 
to Spain, he constructed a small vessel of twenty tons, and in 
the spring of 15G7 set sail in this small vessel, which could 
carry only thirty-eiglit, including the crew. With fair weather 
and favorable winds, they reached the Azores in seventeen 
days, and claimed to have sailed seventy-two leagues a day, a 
statement not easily to be credited. Menendez was received 
with great favor on his arrival at court, but found great diffi- 
culty in obtaining the substantial aid he required to maintain 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 93 

]ii,'=! enterprise. He was anxious for liis colony, and had lieard 
rumors of retaliation by the French for the massacre at Fort 
Caroline aiid ^latanzas, and that, indignant at the indifference 
showu l)y file French court, others were prepared to take the 
matter in hand. 



CHAPTER XVII 

The notable revenge executed l)y the French captain Dominic de Goiirgues 
on the Spaniards in Florida to avenge the massacre of the Huguenots 
at Fort Caroline and Matanzas. 

A.D. 1567 

The name of Dominic de Ciourgues occupies a place hardly 
secondary in interest to any other in the history of events in 
Florida. 

This self-constituted cliampi(!n of his country's wrongs and of 
the riglits of humanity wiis a native of Marsan, in (luienne, and 
a hrother of the governor of that place. After long service at 
arms, he oljtained the rank of captain, when that rank meant 
much more than it does now. 

Being charged with the defense of a place near Sienna, with 
only thirty soldiers at his command, and being attacked with a 
largely superior force, he made so desperate a resistance that 
all were slain hut himself, and he fell a prisoner into the hands 
of the Spaniards. 

To show their appreciation of his signal bravery, and, as the 
French chronicler, with bitter sarcasm, remarks, with rare 
Spanish generosity, De Gourgues, instead of being put to 
death, was consigned to the galleys. The vessel upon which he 
M^as placed as a galley slave was captured by the Turks and 
again by the Maltese, and carried to Rhodes ; afterwards he 
was fortunate enough to be recaptured by a French vessel and 
restored to his country. He soon embarked in an expedition 
to Brazil and the South Seas, where he probably acquired a 
considerable fortune. 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 95 

From tliis vo3'age De Gourgues returned in time to partake 
of the grief and indignation excited tbronghout France by the 
massacre of the Hnguenots at Fort Caroline, and the cold- 
l)lood(.'d slaugliter of Ril)ant and liis sliipwrecked companions. 
Tlie ignohk> treatment De (lonrgnes liad himself received at the 
hands of the Spaniards and the fetters of his galley life had left 
scars o]i his soul not easily etfaced, and it may well l)e supposed 
that this new tale of horror stirred to the depths all the concen- 
trated indignation of his nature. The spirit of retaliation 
surged up and was fully aroused, and he felt that the hlood of 
his slaughtered countrymen, no less than his own wrongs, called 
for the infliction of summary vengeance. 

It has l)een said that the destruction of the Huguenots was 
treated by the king and court of France with an indifference 
which greatly embittered the peo])le, many of whom were in 
sympathy with the religious faith of the sufi^erers, while others 
had lost friends and relations in the bloody massacre. Charle- 
voix, who would be likely to know, says De Gourgues was not a 
Huguenot, l)ut a Roman Catholic. His sympathy was with his 
countrymen as Frenchmen, and his design was to maintain the 
honor of France. 

He seems to have deemed it unwise to make public his feel- 
ings or intentions, or to ask any aid of the king. He sold his own 
property and borrowed money from friends, using all the means 
at his command in ecpiipping three small vessels of light 
draught and storing them with provisions for a twelvemonth. 

He engaged one hundred and eighty jiersons to join him, of 
whom one hundred were gentlemen armed with arquebuses, and 
eighty sailors, also provided with crossbows and pikes, to be 
used when their services might be required as combatants. The 
professed purpose of his expedition was to obtain slaves on the 
African coast. Fortunately for his purpose, the king's lieuten- 
ant in Guienne was a friend of his, and readily granted him a 
license to go to Africa to procure slaves. 



96 inSTORY OF FLORIDA 

He was prepared by the 2d of August, 15(37, to put to sea, 
but was detained twenty days by heavy weather, and did not 
leave the coast until the 32d of the same month, when he set 
sail for the African coast. He stopped at Fort Blanco for a 
few days, where he was attacked, at the instigation of Portu- 
guese traders, by three African chiefs, whom he repulsed. Turn- 
ing west from Cape de Verde, he laid his course for St. Domin- 
go, where he stopped, took water, and repaired his vessels. He 
s])ent some time among the islands, obtaining fruits and re- 
victualing as well as he was able, most of his bread having 
been spoiled by a leak in one of his vessels. He finally reached 
Cape San Antonio, at the west end of Cul)a. 

It was tlien only that he declared to his men the real object 
and purpose of his expedition. He dejiicted the wrongs their 
countrymen had received at the hands of the Spaniards, the 
indignity their nation and flag had suffered, and the shame that 
rested upon France for leaving so long unavenged an act so 
wicked and base as the murder of the Huguenots and the 
destruction of the French colony. He told them that the 
work which lay before them was to punish the Spaniards and 
wi])e out the stain that rested upon their own country, explain- 
ing, as fully as he then could, his plans and the means by 
Avhieli he ho|)ed to attain success, expressing his entire con- 
fidence in tlieni, and hoping, as he said, that they would not 
disappoint the high expectations he liad formed when he se- 
lected them from the many who had been eager to join the 
exj)edition. 

His words fell upon willing ears, and the hearts of his follow- 
ers burned with eagerness to reach the shore occupied by the 
hated Spaniards and begin the work of revenge. A favorable 
wind soon brought them to the coast of Florida, and, passing by 
the mouth of the Eiver San Mateo, the Spaniards, supposing 
they were Spanish, fired a salute, which Do Gourgues returned 
to keep up their error. A few leagues north of the San Mateo 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 97 

they entered the harlx)!' of Fernaiulina, near the mouth of the 
St. Mary's Eiver, called by the natives Tacatacourona and by 
the French the Somme. 

At daybreak the morning after their arrival they beheld a 
multitude of Indians on the shore prepared to oppose their 
landing, supposing them to be Spaniards. Fortunately the 
trumpeter on board De Gourgues's vessel was well acquainted 
with the Indian language, having been with Laudonniere, and 
he was sent on shore to give assurance of friendship and to en- 
list their aid. The trumpeter was soon recognized by the In- 
dians and received with demonstrations of pleasure. 

Satourioura, the bitter foe of the Spaniards, was present, and 
welcomed De Gourgues as the friend of Laudonniere. The 
complaints of the Indians against the Spaniards were bitter, 
and they were impatient for the opportunity for revenge. Ex- 
plaining as far as was necessary his plans to his Indian allies, 
De Gourgues made a reconnoissance of the position of the 
Spanish forts on the St. John's, and ascertained their location 
and strength of their garrisons. Eeturning to his vessels, he 
awaited the assembling of the Indians, who, under their chiefs 
Olocatora and Satourioura, were to Join him in the assault. 
They had engaged to return in three days and bring their 
warriors with them. On the third day they came in with large 
numbers of their followers. 

Satourioura brought with him a youth of sixteen, named 
Pierre de Bre, who had escaped from Fort Caroline at the time 
of the massacre and had taken refuge with the Indians. Many 
efforts had been made by the Spaniards to get possession of tlie 
boy, but the Indians faithfully protected him, and now brought 
him to De Gourgues. He proved very useful as an interpreter, 
and informed De Gourgues of the strength of the three forts on 
the river, which, he said, contained in all but four hundred 
soldiers. 

The French were rejoiced to find the Indians so ready to 
7 



98 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

assist them in so difficult an enterprise as making an attack on 
a superior force entrenched within fortified places. Besides 
Fort Caroline, now strengthened and named San Mateo, the 
Spaniards had erected a small fort on each side of the mouth of 
the river. 



CHAPTEK XVIII 

llow De Gourgues capliired the Spanisli forts on the St. John's Rivei and 
hung the prisoners, "not as Spaniards, but traitors, thieves, and 
murderers." 

A.D. 1567 

De Gourgues's j^lan was to first attack the fort on the north 
side of tlie river. Helicopali, one of the cliiefs, acted as guide. 
The Frencli soldiers and tlieir Indian allies were to meet at the 
Nassau River. The Indians were to proceed by way of Fort 
George Island and the French by water. Concealing them- 
selves on Fort George Island until low tide, so that they could 
wade over to the island on the north side of the river, the at- 
tack was made at midday, while the garrison were at dinner. 
The sentinel was not at his post, and the French soldiers had 
nearly reached the fort before they were discovered. 

The Spanish garrison, though for over two years anticipating 
an attack, were at last taken by surprise, and the cry which now 
reached tlicir ears, " The French ! the French ! " struck terror 
to every heart. The sentinel flew to his post and fired a eul- 
verin twice at the enemy, and was on the point of firing a third 
time, when Olocatora leaped on the platform and transfixed him 
with a pike. Ignorant from what direction the French had 
come upon them, and probably only expecting an attack by 
sea, the demoralized garrison rushed to the gates, hoping to 
escape, but were met by De Goiirgues's men, and all either 
killed or captured. 

The garrison on the south side of the river, observing the 
contest, opened fire upon the French, who, being now in posses- 



100 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

sion of the first fort, turned the captured guns upon the enemy, 
returning their fire with good effect. In the mean time De 
Gourgues's vessels had come around from the mouth of the St. 
Mary's and commenced an attack upon the Spanish fort on the 
south side of the river, while the Indians in large numbers 
swam across the river. The Spanish garrison in the second 
fort, finding themselves thus in danger of being surrounded, 
gave up all for lost, and endeavored to reach Fort San Mateo by 
passing through the woods along the margin of the river. De 
Gourgues, anticipating their design, intercepted their flight, 
and, with the efficient aid of the Indians, succeeded in killing or 
capturing the whole number. 

Among the fifteen prisoners taken was an old sergeant, who 
gave De Gourgues very accurate information as to the position, 
height, and strength of Fort San Mateo, which he desired next 
to attack. The French commander prudently determined to 
make his position sure by fortifying himself in one of the two 
forts already captured. He also busied himself making scaling- 
ladders, etc., and sent out reconnoitering parties to observe the 
movements of the Spanish force in Fort San Mateo. One of 
these parties, headed by the young chief Olocatora, seized a 
Spaniard disguised as an Indian, and brought him to De 
Gourgues. The Spaniard professed to have escaped from one 
of the captured forts, and said he had disguised himself as an 
Indian in order to avoid being killed l^y the Indians, but, being 
confronted with the old sergeant, he was fovmd to l)e a spy from 
San Mateo, sent out to discover the strength of the French and 
to observe their movements. He said that the commander of 
the Spanish fort supposed the French to 1)e over two thousand 
strong, while their own garrison consisted of only two hundred 
and sixty men, and they felt unable to defend the fort against 
such superior numbers. 

Upon this information, De Gourgues determined to hasten 
his attack and avail himself of the discouragement of the Span- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 101 

iartls. Coming out under cover of niglit, he disposed his Indian 
force in ambuscade around the fort to await the moment their 
services should be required, and at dawn of day he approached 
with his own men, and, as soon as discovered, was fired upon 
from a battery which liad been placed to cover the approach to 
the fort by water. De Gourgues retired a short distance, and, 
turning aside, secured a position protected from the guns of the 
fort while he himself could observe all their movements. He 
soon observed a force of about sixty men coming out of the fort 
on a reoonnoissance. As soon as they had come out a sufficient 
distance, De Gourgues threw a party in their rear in order to 
intercept their return, and then, rushing out from his concealed 
position, attacked the Spaniards briskly in front ; they quickly 
d-etreated, and, being met by the French in their rear, were cut 
to pieces. 

Seeiiig this, the garrison became panic-stricken, and, abandon- 
ing all efforts at defense, sought safety in flight, but, being sur- 
rounded on all sides by the French and their Indian allies, only 
a few, among whom was the commander of the fort, escaped. 
Nearly all fell under the weapons of the French or the clubs of 
the Indians, while the few taken alive were reserved for a signal 
act of revenge. The fort was well armed for a stout defense, 
if it had been held by stout hearts. The artillery De Gourgues 
removed to his own vessels, but before he could remove any- 
thing else, an Indian, broiling fish near the fort, set fire to a 
train leading to the magazine, and the whole was blown up and 
destroyed. 

The Spaniards who had been taken prisoners were led out to 
the spot on which, in September, 15G5, Menendez had caused 
the Huguenots of Fort C'aroline to be hung. De Gourgues here 
arraigned them at the bar of retributive Justice. He told them 
of the wrongs done by the Spaniards under Menendez to the 
French king, how they had murdered his defenseless subjects, 
destroying the fort they had built and taking possession of the 



103 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

country they had conquered. Such base treason and detestable 
cruelty could not go always unpunished, and he had taken upon 
himself, at his own risk and expense, to avenge the wrongs of 
his countrymen. He could not make them suffer as they justly 
ought, but must mete out to them such punishment as an 
enemy might fairly inflict, in order that their fate might be a 
warning unto others. 

Having thus spoken, he caused the wretched prisoners to be 
hung from the brandies of the spreading oaks under whose 
shade the unfortunate Huguenots had suffered, and, in place of 
the inscription which Menendez had written in Spanish over 
his victims, "I do this not as unto Frenchmen, but as to Luther- 
ans," De Gourgues caused to be graved on a tablet of pine with 
a hot iron these words : " I do this not as unto Spaniards nor 
mariners, but as to traitors, thieves, and murderers." 

Then, returning down the river to the fort below, the thirty 
prisoners belonging to the garrison who had been captured 
and secured there were brought out and hung. Among the 
last Spaniards who were put to death was one who confessed 
that he had taken part in the massacre of the Huguenots at 
Fort Caroline, and had with his own hands hung five of them. 
Acknowledging his guilt, he reproached himself greatly, and 
recognized the hand of God in the just punishment he was 
about to suffer. At the suggestion of De Gourgues and with 
great good will the Indians undertook to destroy the forts. 
They were, moreover, very anxious that he should complete his 
work by the destruction of the fort and garrison at St. Au- 
gustiue, but he felt unequal to tlieir capture with the means at 
his command, although it is not unlikely he might have suc- 
ceeded, Menendez being absent and the French force over- 
estimated. Having accomplished successfully the main pur- 
pose of his expedition, he assembled the Indians, thanking 
them on his own behalf and in the name of his countrymen 
for their services, and exhorted them to continue the friendship 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 103 

they had ever pliown for Franco, who desired to protect them 
from the Spaniards and all their enemies. The Indians parted 
from the French with tears and lamentations, and could he 
pacified only by a promise from De Gourgues to return to them 
within a twelvemonth with a larger force. 

After weighing anchor, De Gourgues assembled his ship's 
company and called upon them to return thanks to God for the 
success he had vouchsafed to their enterprise. " It was not," 
he said, " other than God who preserved us from shipwreck and 
moulded the hearts of the savages to join with us. 'Twas God 
who l:)linded the understanding of the Spaniards so that they 
were unable to discover the number of our forces or to know 
how to employ their own. They were four to one in numbers, 
bad strong fortresses well provided with artillery, ammuni- 
tion, arms; and provisions. We had the just cause, and con- 
quered those who contended with the right. Thus it was God 
alone and not ourselves who won the victory." He concluded 
by invoking the divine blessing on their homeward voyage. 
Having sailed on the 3d of May, and having favorable winds, 
they reached Eochelle on the Gth of June, having lost on the 
]:)assage the tender with eight men and a few who had been 
killed at the assault on the forts. 

De Gourgues was received with great honor and applause at 
Eochelle; but the report of his exploit having reached Spain, 
a fleet was sent to intercept him, which arrived at Rochelle just 
as he sailed for Bordeaux, vainly pursuing him. He presented 
himself at court and gave an account of his doings in Florida, 
and tendered his services to the king to regain possession of 
that country ; but the anti-Huguenot party was then in power, 
and the temper of the court was not favorable to such a move- 
ment, and, although there were doubtless many who rejoiced 
that the slaughter of the Huguenots had been avenged, De 
Gourgues met with a cool reception and was advised to seek 
safety in concealment. 



104 IIISTOEY OF FLORIDA 

Pliilip of Spain, the same king avIio had shortly before be- 
stowed all honor and commendation upon Menendez for his 
bloody massacre of the Huguenots, had now the unblushing ef- 
frontery to demand of the French king the head of DeGoiirgaes. 
His friends shielded him, and after some years spent in ob- 
scurity, he was appointed Ijy the king to the command of the 
French fleet, but died suddenly in 1582, greatly regretted. 

Looking at the limited means and small force that De 
(iourgues had at his command, his enterprise seems to have 
bordered on recklessness. With only two small vessels and a 
tender, a force of one hundred soldiers and eighty sailors, he 
was to meet a foe outnumbering his own four to one, trained 
soldiers, occupying three forts mounted with cannon and pro- 
vided with an abundance of military stores, ammunition, etc. 
His Hulian allies were armed only with bows, arrows, and clubs, 
and undisciplined for a contest with regular troops. The success 
of the French is attributable largely to the skill and boldness 
of De Gourgues. Gathering to his aid a large force of Indians, 
he created an impression of having a superior force, and by a 
l)old attack confirmed this impression in the mind of the Span- 
ish commander, who would not think it possible that he would 
be attacked by an inferior force. With a natural dread of the 
French retaliation, the Spaniards sought safety in flight, when 
a bold defense would have forced the French to retire. 

We cannot, in this age of a more enlightened Christianity, 
approve of the course of De Gourgues. We feel that it would 
have been more noble to have spared his captives and given an 
illustrious example of magnanimity to his enemies, but at that 
day such an instance of generosity would have been considered 
an act of egregious folly and attributed to timidity. De 
Gourgues had been, in reward for deeds of valor, consigned to 
the galleys, and was embittered against the Spaniards alike by 
his personal grievances and by the cruelty they had shown his 
countrymen, memorials of which perhaps still remained at Fort 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 105 

Caroline to stimulate his jiurpose of retaliation. Thus incited, 
he believed he was the minister of divine vengeance to execute 
justice \\\)0\i these " traitors, thieves, and murderers." 

The atrocities of Menendez and the retaliation of De 
Gourgues are alike sad records of cruelty and vindictiveness 
by professedly Christian people invoking the countenance and 
blessing of Deity upon their acts, and deserve our strongest 
condemnation. To judge of these acts impartially we must go 
back to the relentless spirit of their time, when difference of 
faith was considered a crime to be punished with death, and re- 
joice that those days of blind fanaticism have passed away and 
freedom of conscience everywhere permitted. 



CHAPTEK XIX 

Menendez I'eturns to Florida — Sir Francis Drake makes an attack upon 
St. Augustine — Tiie story of missions among the Indians and mas- 
sacre of the missionaries. 

A.D. 1567-1591 

While De Goiirgues was thus visiting with swift destruction 
the Spanish garrisons on the St. John's Kiver, Menendez still 
tarried in restless impatience at the Spanish court. Finally, 
having succeeded in obtaining a partial reimbursement of the 
funds he had expended, and also obtaining the appointment of 
governor of Cuba, he set sail on the 17th of March, 1568, and 
arrived in Florida shortly after the departure of De Gourgues. 
It was only on his arrival that he learned of De Gourgues's 
attack and terrible retribution. His proud spirit must have 
chafed with unavailing rage at the insidting and severe blow 
which had been dealt l)y so insignificant a force, but he had ar- 
rived too late to prevent or punish it. He found his garrisons 
demoralized and suffering from scarcity of food and insuf- 
ficiency of clothing. The Indians, aroused by the successful 
inroad of De Gourgues, were everywhere in open hostility, and 
he found ample occupation in restoring order and reestal)lish- 
ing his posts along the coast. He had brought with him ten 
brothers of the Order of St. Francis, and now paid particular at- 
tention to missions among the Indians, and, to his credit be it 
said, devoted himself with great zeal and earnestness to the 
good work. The success of the missionaries was not equal to 
their labojs, for, it is said, " although the Indians asked many 
questions and gave apparent attention to the explanations and 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 107 

instructions of the worthy fathers while the corn which was 
daily given them lasted, yet when that was gone they likewise 
disappeared " ; and although four of the fathers labored in one 
locality most assiduously for a year, they succeeded in baptizing 
only seven, of whom four were children and the others at the 
point of death. 

These missions were soon widely established; from Cape Flor- 
ida they reached along the coast northwardly to St. Helena, and 
an attempt was made, even at this early period, to plant a 
mission on the shores of the Chesapeake, then called the prov- 
ince of Axiocan. 

j\Ieiiendez had brought back with him an Indian who had 
been carried to Spain some time previously and educated in the 
Roman Catholic faith. This convert, Don Luis, now proposed 
to guide a band of missionaries to his native province, of which 
his brother was the cacique or chief. An expedition having 
been fitted out, a party of missionaries, consisting of Father 
Segura, vice-provincial, with five other priests and four junior 
brothers of the Order of St, Francis, under the guidance of Don 
Luis, sailed to the Chesapeake, on the shores of which they 
landed. The treacherous convert pretended to conduct them 
into the country, but procured the massacre on the way of the 
whole party, except one of the Junior In'others, who was after- 
wards surrendered to Menendez. In the following year Menen- 
dez,sailed to the Chesapeake, captured some of the Indians sup- 
])osed to have participated in the massacre, and hung eight of 
them. Had this mission succeeded, Virginia might have be- 
come a Spanish possession. The importance of Florida soon 
declined in public estimation. No gold or precious stones had 
Ix'en found, and the inhabitants had to be supported by con- 
stant supplies of provisions. The colony languished, and was 
only sustained by the personal exertions of Menendez, to whom 
it was a profitless position. Finally, leaving the colony in the 
hands of his relative, Pedro Menendez Marquis, he himself 



108 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

returned to Spain, where his high reputation gave him position 
at court as one of the king's counselors, and it is said that no 
important enterprise was undertalcen without his advice. 

In the year 1574 he was made captain-general of the Spanish 
fleet, but at the mature age of fifty-five, at the summit of his 
honors and surrounded with devoted followers, attracted by 
his brilliant reputation, when on the point of assuming the com- 
mand of a great armada of three hundred vessels, he was at- 
tacked by a violent fever and died after a short illness. Some, 
indeed, allege that he put an end to his own existence, Me- 
nendez combined with many admirable and heroic qualities 
others which have left a stain upon his name and memory. 
He possessed many of the virtues of a great leader, and which, 
on a larger field, would have made him illustrious. Unfor- 
tunately, he was a cruel bigot, and was placed in a position 
calculated to develop the worst traits of his character. Instead 
of being remembered as the victor on some well-fought field, 
his name recalls only the heap of murdered prisoners at Matan- 
zas and those so cruelly gibbeted at Fort Caroline, " not as 
Frenchmen, but as Lutherans." Under a leader of less resolu- 
tion, Florida would have been abandoned within a few years of 
its occupation. But little progress was made in the settlement 
of the country, and that mostly through military posts, estab- 
lished as a protection to the missionaries engaged in endeavor- 
ing to secure the conversion of the Indians. 

In 1580, some fifteen years subsequent to the settlement of 
St. Augustine, Sir Francis Drake, the celebrated English free- 
rover, returning from a freebooting expedition against the 
Spanish settlements in the West Indies and on the Spanish 
Main, espied a lookout on Anastasia Island, opposite to St. 
Augustine. The English landed a piece of ordnance, and, 
planting it opposite the fort, fired two shots, the first of which 
passed through the royal standard of Spain waving over the fort, 
and the second struck the ramparts. As it was nearly dark he 



110 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

attempted nothing further that evening, but, sending a boat in 
to reconnoiter the harbor, several shots were fired at it from 
the fort, which was at the time being evacuated by the Spanish 
garrison, consisting of one hundred and fifty men, who sup- 
posed themselves about to be attacked by the whole English 
force. 

In the mean time a French piper, playing the Prince of 
Orange march, approached the English camp in a canoe and re- 
ported himself as one of the garrison, and informed Drake of 
the evacuation of the fort, offering to act as guide to the Eng- 
lish forces. 

In the morning the boats were manned and approached the 
fort, which they found deserted, the garrison having left in 
such haste that the treasure-chest, containing two thousand 
pounds sterling, was left behind and fell into the hands of 
Drake. The fort was built of trunks of large pine trees, with 
a palisade, but without ditches, and was in an unfinished con- 
dition. Owing to heavy rains and intervening creeks, the 
English were not able to reach the town by land, but, upon ap- 
proaching it in boats, the inhabitants, after a slight show of 
resistance, fled towards San Mateo. The English sergeant- 
major, pursuing the fugitives, was shot from ambush, and the 
English in retaliation pillaged and then burned the town. It 
seems probable that the fort then existing was Iniilt at the head 
of Cano de la Leche, considerably north of tlie present fort, and 
that the town was on the point near to and south of the bar- 
racks. Drake then left, intending to visit San Mateo and St. 
Helena, but was prevented from doing so by stormy weather. 
St. Augustine then contained a parish church, a hall of justice, 
and a monastery. The combined garrison force of St. Augus- 
tine, San Mateo, and St. Helena amounted to but four hundred 
men. 

St. Augustine was rebuilt after the departure of Drake. 
Twelve brothers of the Order of St. Francis came in 1593 and 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA, 111 

occupied missions in the interior, the principal mission being on 
the island called Guale, now Amelia Island. 

Five years afterwards the son of the chief of Guale, dissatis- 
fied with the restrictions and censures of the priests, incited a 
general conspiracy for the destruction of the missions and the 
mission fathers. In the suburbs of St. Augustine were two In- 
dian villages, called respectively Tolomato and Topiqui. At 
midnight the young chief of Guale and his followers made an 
attack upon Father Corpa, who was in charge of the mission of 
Tolomato, and dispatched him with their hatchets. Then, 
being urged by tlieir leader to complete their work, the band 
hastened to Topiqui, where they entered the habitation of 
Father Eodriguez, who begged the privilege of celebrating mass 
before he died. This they accorded him, but he had no sooner 
concluded than they fell upon him with the utmost fury, killing 
him at the very foot of the altar, and from there dragging out 
his lifeless body, cast it into the fields. They thence went to 
the Indian town of Assopo, on the island of Guale, where were 
two friars. Fathers Aunon and Badajoz, whom they quickly 
slew, their bodies being afterwards buried at the foot of a high 
cross which Father Aunon had himself erected. 

From Guale the infuriated savages went to the Indian town of 
Asao, where a friar resided by the name of Velascola, a man of 
great humility and earnest piety, but endowed with remarkable 
strength, and of whom on this account the natives stood in 
great awe. Becoming aware of their hostile intentions, he em- 
barked alone for St. Augustine in a canoe. Enraged at his es- 
cape, the Indians hastened to intercept him if possible at the 
l)lace where he would land near St. Augustine. Reaching this 
place in advance of him, they concealed themselves in the 
thickets, and, stealing upon him as he landed, seized him from 
behind and struck him repeated blows with their clubs and 
hatchets until they had taken his life. Their thirst for blood 
still unslaked, they proceeded to Ospo, where Father Davila was 



113 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

stationed, wlio, hearing their yells and being made aware of his 
danger, sought safety by flight to the surrounding forest. But 
the night being clear and the moon at the full, they soon dis- 
covered himj and wounded him with their arrows. As he was 
seized and was about being sacrificed, he was saved by the inter- 
cession of an Indian woman, who claimed him as a captive and 
carried him to the interior, where he was forced to perform the 
lowest menial service, accompanied with much ill usage and 
severe treatment. Tired of their captive, they at last deter- 
mined to complete their measure of vengeance against the mis- 
sionaries by burning him alive. He was brought out for this 
purpose, and bound with thongs to a post in the center of the 
village. The fuel was heaped about him and the torch was 
about to be applied, when an Indian mother whose son was held 
prisoner by the Spaniards at St. Augustine begged that the 
priest might be delivered to her that she might exchange him 
for her son. With great difficulty she at last succeeded in hav- 
ing Father Davila released from his great peril and delivered to 
his friends in exchange for her son. 

All the outlying missions had now been visited by the ruth- 
less savages except that at San Pedro. With upwards of fifty 
canoes they made a vigorous assault upon that mission, but were 
repulsed by a friendly chief, whose tribe were at enmity with 
the assailants, who followed up his success with such vigor that 
all who had landed were destroyed, and the remainder forced 
to seek safety in flight. 

In this massacre five priests perished, and Father Davila was 
so maltreated that when he was delivered to his friends they were 
unalfle to recognize him. The governor proceeded immedi- 
ately to visit with exemplary punishment the Indians supposed 
to be implicated in the slaughter of the missionaries, burning 
the dwellings and granaries of those whom he could not more 
directly reach. 

In the year 1612-13 thirty-one missionaries belonging to the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 113 

Order of St. Francis were sent to Florida, which was now 
erected into a religious province of that order by the name of 
St. Helena, the principal house of which was at Havana. A 
catechism in the Indian language had already been prepared 
and printed, being, it is believed, the first work in the Indian 
language ever published. 

Three years later twelve more Franciscan brothers arrived, 
and such progress was made that in the ensuing two years there 
were now established twenty missions, scattered among the 
principal Indian towns. In the year 1638 a war broke out be- 
tween the Sjianish colonists and the Appalachee Indians, and, 
although the garrison at St. Augustine did not number more 
than one hundred effective men, the governor succeeded in 
driving the Indians back to their towns. A considerable num- 
ber of the A|)palachee prisoners were set to work at the fortifica- 
tions of St. Augustine, and they and their descendants were 
kept tlius employed for sixty years. 

St. Augustine in 16-17 contained only three hundred house- 
liolders or heads of families, while the Convent of St. Francis 
had fifty 4wothers in residence. 

The succession of the house of Menendez had now termi- 
nated. Pedro Menendez perished at the hands of the Indians ; 
Hernando de Alas, his son-in-law, succeeded him ; Diego de 
Rebellado was governor from 1655 to 1675, and was succeeded 
by Don Juan Salacar, who held office until 1680, and was suc- 
ceeded by Juan Marquez Cabrera. 

The settlement of Virginia had been commenced in 1607, 
and other colonies to the north had been planted by the Eng- 
lish and Dutch without opposition from the Spanish crown. 
The wide interval between the English and Spanish settle- 
ments for a time prevented any collision, and the spirit of Me- 
nendez no longer animated his successors. 



CHAPTER XX 

Settlement of Carolina and French exploration of the Mississippi — Col- 
lisions between the English and Sj)anish settlements — Pensacola set- 
tled by the Spaniards and Mobile by the French. 

A.D. 1663-1696 

It was not until KiO;], when the charter of Carolina was 
granted hy Charles II., that the English settlements trenched 
upon the ground which the Spaniards had all along claimed. 
With the settlement of Carolina there at once grew up a hostile 
feeling which lasted for a century between these neighboring 
colonies. In truth there was never a time when English and 
Spanish people did not distrust and hate each other, and, 
although nominally peaceful relations were assumed to exist, 
yet the subjects of the two crowns were always ready to injure 
each other whenever the opportunity occurred. It was partly 
a political and, in a consideral)le degree, a religious antago- 
nism. 

At this period the power of England was greatly augmented 
by the growth of a sturdy class of sea-rovers, who largely made 
up for the weakness of numbers of her land forces by their 
prowess at sea. Buccaneers, sea-rovers, privateers, or how else 
they might be called, abounded in the western seas, and were 
ever ready to sack a town, seize upon treasure-ships, or engage 
any vessel that they chose to consider an enemy. 

In 1665 one of these freebooting expeditions, under Capt. 
John Davis, made a descent upon St. Augustine with seven 
small vessels and an inconsideral)le force. Little resistance 
was made by the Spanish garrison of two hundred men, and the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 115 

town was pillaged ])y the English freebooters. The ill feeling 
l)etween Florida and Carolina grew apace, the Spaniards alleg- 
ing that the pirates or freebooters, as they were called, who 
])re3'ed upon their commerce, were received and sheltered in the 
harbors of Carolina, an accusation which was but too true. 
The Carolinians, on the other hand, complained that the Span- 
ish authorities in Florida endeavored to incite the Indians to 
acts of hostility against them, and also to seduce their servants 
from them, and harbored them in St. Augustine. In 1676 the 
Spaniards sent a force to attack the colonists on the Ashley 
]?iver, on the coast of South Carolina, but the colonists en- 
trenclied themselves and the Spaniards were forced to retire. 
Ten years later three galleys from St. Augustine made an attack 
on a Scotch settlement on Port Royal Island, which had been 
established by Lord Cardross. The settlers were unable to 
protect tliemselves, and their houses were pillaged. The gal- 
leys then ascended the North Edisto River to Bear's Bluff, 
where they landed, pillaged, and burned the houses. Much 
property of the settlers was carried off, and some who were 
taken prisoners were treated with indignity. A brother of 
Governor jMorton was allowed to perish by tlie l>urning of the 
boat on which he was confined — acts which naturally aroused 
tlie indignation of the Carolinians. 

Don Juan Marquez Cabrera, the Spanish governor, about the 
year 1687 attempted to remove the various Indian tribes of Ap- 
])alachees, Cowetas, and Casicas, as well as those of San Felipe, 
San Simon, San Catalina, Sapalo, and others, to the islands on 
tlie coast and to tlie banks of the St. John's. This occasioned an 
insurrection of all the tribes. Several of them removed within 
the limits of Carolina, and subsequently made an incursion 
into Florida, attacked the towns of the Timuquas, robbed the 
Clvarch and Convent of St. Francis of the plate and vestments, 
1)urned the town of Tomuqua, killed a large number of Chris- 
tian Indians, and carried many others away as prisoners to St. 



116 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Helena, where tliey were reduced to servitude. At this com- 
paratively late period in the history of America, hy the perse- 
verance and energy of Monsieur de la Salle, the course of the 
Mississip2)i was traversed in hoats from the country of the 
Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. Although one hundred and 
seventeen years had passed since the actual settlement and oc- 
cupation of Florida by the Spaniards, the spirit of enterprise 
and discovery had so far died out that the information ac- 
quired through the expeditions of Narvaez, De Soto, and De 
Luna of the existence of vast and fertile regions, magnificent 
rivers and lakes, had not stimulated the Spanish explorers to 
undertake the occupation of these rich lands lying within the 
limits claimed by them as Florida. It was left to the insig- 
nificant expedition of La Salle, who, entering the river from 
the region of the great lakes, embarked in slight canoes, and, 
almost unarmed, floated down the mighty flood of the great 
river to tlie sea, and thus conferred upon France the right of ap- 
propriating the finest portion of the American continent, the 
great valley of the Mississippi, to which they gave the name of 
tlieir monarch, Louisiana. 

Spain, indifferent to colonization on her own account, was 
always jealous of what she deemed the encroachment of others. 
La Salle's successful voyage aroused her to the necessity of 
making good her claims to a part at least of the extensive re- 
gion about to i^ass under the control of France. Hitherto she 
had been content to occupy the single fortified post at St. Au- 
gustine, and to plant and support some scattered missions. In 
1692 an expedition was fitted out by the viceroy of New Spain 
to explore the harbors on the Gulf of Mexico. At that time the 
Spanish plate-fleets from Mexico to Spain followed the course 
of the Gulf Stream, sweeping around the southern extremity 
of Florida to Havana and thence by the Bahama Channel along 
the eastern coast of Florida. In the course of years many ves- 
sels had been wrecked on these shores, and many lives and much 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 117 

treasure had been lost. In IfiOfi Pensaeola was occnpied by a 
Spanisli force and a fort built and garrisoned. The town 
was located at what is now known as Barrancas. A fort of 
quadrilateral form, a church, and other public buildings were 
erected. Andres Arriola was appointed the first governor of 
the province. 

Three years later DTberville arrived on the coast with three 
vessels sent out by Louis XIV. to establish a colony in Loui- 
siana. He touched at Pensaeola, then occupied by a force of 
three hundred Spanish troops. Passing westwardly, he entered 
Moljile Bay and landed on an island which he nanied Massa- 
cre Island, subsequently known as Dauphin Island. Here he 
planted the first French colony located in the south after the 
.destruction of the Huguenots in 1565. The Spaniards called 
the Mississippi the Kiver of Palisades, from the number of tall 
trees standing singly along the shores. The English called it 
]\Iessaehel)e. The English a])out the same time sent out an ex- 
pedition to take possession of the country bordering on tlie 
Mississippi, but they were too late. DTberville liad already 
occupied the country. 

The interior of Florida west of the Suwanee Piver was mainly 
occupied by the Appalaehee Indians. The tribe of Calos was 
in the southern portion, and the Timuquas on the eastern 
coast. Many of these Indian names have siirvived — Appa- 
laehee, Tomoka, etc. There does not seem to have been much 
])rogress made in the civilization of the Indians during the 
Spanish rule. The natural ferocity of these savage tribes, 
their freedom from restraint and warlike propensities, made 
them impenetrable at heart to the claims of the Christian faith, 
which inculcated love and forbearance. Over one hundred 
years had now elapsed since IMenendez had planted the standard 
of Spain on the coast of Florida, and a vast amount of labor and 
treasure had been expended in the almost fruitless effort to oc- 
cu]»y and Christianize the country. 



118 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

At the beginning of the seventeenth century no European 
colony existed on the Athintic coast of North America except 
St. Augustine. In IGOT, forty-two years after the founding of 
St. Augustine, Jamestown, in Virginia, was settled hy the Eng- 
lish, and thirteen years later, in 1620, the Plymouth colony 
landed on the shores of New England. In the course of the next 
fifty years settlements were made on the Atlantic coast l)y the 
French, English, Dutch, and Swedes, and from the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence to Port Eoyal, in South Carolina, flourishing settle- 
ments had been planted and a very considerable commerce had 
grown up under the fostering care of their respective govern- 
ments. 

During the seventeenth century Spain possessed by right of 
discovery and partial occupation a claim to the most valuable 
])ortion of the American continent ; but the history of this one 
liundred years is a record only of feeble and spasmodic efforts 
at colonization and timid exploration of the region adjoining 
the military posts. Pensacola and St. Mark's had been estab- 
lished as advanced and isolated posts, and a few others, but the 
liistory of Florida during this period presents but little more 
than a chronicle of the changes of governors and petty details 
of unimportant local events. Having the fertile valley of the 
Mississippi, the rich plains of Texas, the productive valleys and 
uplands of Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky within their 
reach, no explorations had been made into even the gold fields 
of upper Georgia, no colonies planted, no empire founded, and 
in this magnificent and then vacant domain the result of over 
one hundred years of Spanish domination was three small forti- 
fied towns and a few mission liouses. It is, indeed, quite prob- 
able that in the year 1700 they knew less of the country than 
Menendez did within ten years after his arrival. The mines of 
]\Iexico and the riches of the Spanish Main had drawn the at- 
tention of the Spanish monarchy from the more enduring 
wealth and power to be derived from a fertile and populous 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 119 

rogion. The Spanish force of character, the spirit of adventure, 
the characteristics of such men as Cortez and De Soto, liad de- 
parted, and the great Spanish monarchy, which at one time 
seemed to control the destiny of America, had sensibly declined 
both here and elsewhere. 



CHAPTER XXI 

Governor Moore, of South Carolina, makes an attack upon St. Augustine — 
Afterwards overruns much of middle Florida, destroying Spanish 
posts and Indian missions. 

A.D. 1702-1704 

Fbom the first settlement of Carolina by the English, constant 
sources of irritation and difficulty sprang up between the P]ng- 
lisli and Spanish settlements. The Spaniards considered the 
English as intruders u])()n their rightful territory, and, more- 
over, the old religious animosities animated Ijoth parties. The 
alliance of the Indian tribes was desired l)y each, and l)ecame a 
eubject of contention. It will be recollected that in KiSfi Span- 
iards from St. Augustine had made an incursion upon tlie Eng- 
lish settlement at Port Iloyal, and had left behind the memory 
of grievous injuries to be atoned for. During Governor Arch- 
dale's administration in South Carolina tolerably amicable 
relations were maintained ; but he was succeeded by Governor 
Moore, an ambitious man. who, it is said, had obtained office 
by questionable means and desired to accomplish something to 
signalize his administration. Under his influence the assembly 
of South Carolina was induced to authorize, in 1T02, an expe- 
dition against St. Augustine, which was understood to be capa- 
ble of very little defense. Many of the settlers in South Carolina 
had lost negroes, who had gone to the Spaniards and had been 
protected l)y them, and many others, no doubt, were quite will- 
ing to profit l)y the result of an invasion among the Spanish 
Indians, who might be reduced to a state of servitude. 

A rupture having occurred between England and Spain, 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 121 

Governor Moore embraced the opportunity thus afforded for an 
invasion of Florida, which he was induced to do, as was charged, 
l)y motives of personal gain rather than national advantage. 
The governor set forth the little risk and the great advantage of 
such an expedition ; secured sufficient followers, and an appro- 
priation of two thousand pounds from tlie assemhly, a very con- 
sidera))le sum for a new colony of a few thousand inhahitants 
to raise outside of their other expenses. 

The force needed to carry out the enterprise was fixed at six 
hundred provincial militia, to he assisted hy an equal number of 
Indian allies. The attack was to he made by land and sea, the 
land forces to go by the inland passage in boats to the St. John's 
T\iver and thence up that river to Pioolata, from which point 
they were to march overland and take St. Augustine in the 
rear. The other part of the expedition was to proceed in ves- 
sels under the command of Governor Moore, direct to St. Au- 
gustine and cooperate with the land forces, which were placed 
under command of Colonel Daniel. Colonel Daniel's portion of 
the expedition reached St. Augustine in advance of the vessels. 

The Spanish governor had learned of the intended attack 
and had made all tlie preparations for defense within his 
power. Provisions were stored in the castle and preparations 
were made for a long siege. 

As soon as Colonel Daniel arrived he attacked and gained 
possession of the town, the troops and inhabitants retiring to 
the protection of the castle. Governor Moore with his vessels 
arrived soon afterwards and invested the castle, but on account 
of the want of siege guns of large caliber no impression could 
l)e made njion the walls of the fort. Colonel Daniel was sent 
to Jamaica to procure heavier guns. While absent on this 
mission, three Spanish vessels appeared off the coast. Alarmed 
by the appearance of these vessels, and fearing that his retreat 
might be cut off. Governor Moore hastily raised the siege, 
abaudoniny- or destroying such of his stores and munitions as 



122 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

lie was unable to remove. He was forced also to destroy his 
vessels, as he feared to encounter the Sj^anish vessels outside. 
Before retiring he committed the barbarity of burning the 
town. Colonel Daniel returned shortly afterwards, having 
succeeded in obtaining some mortars and heavy guns, and, be- 
ing ignorant of the withdrawal of Governor Moore, narrowly 
escaped capture. 

Governor Moore returned to Carolina without having lost 
a man from his force. The expedition, however, cost the col- 
ony of South Carolina some six thousand pounds, and led to the 
first issue of paper money ever circulated in America. In the 
same year the Spaniards had incited the Appalachee Indians 
to attack the English settlements in Carolina. They had 
assembled a force of nine hundred warriors and had commenced 
their march, when they encountered five hundred Creeks, who 
were allies of the English and had been organized by the Creek 
traders to repel the attack. The Creeks suspended their blan- 
kets in their camp, as though quietly reposing by their camp- 
fires, and placed themselves in ambush. The Appalachees, 
confident of an easy victory, rushed forward upon the supposed 
sleeping camp with great impetuosity, when they fell into the 
ambush prepared for them by the Creeks and were routed with 
great loss. 

The loss which Governor Moore had inflicted by burning St. 
Augustine was a severe blow to its inhabitants. They received 
some assistance from Spain to help them rebuild, but were dis- 
couraged by their apparent helplessness, and urgent representa- 
tions were made by Governor Cuniga to the home government 
for an increased force and larger means to repel the attacks of 
their English neighbors. In 1704 Governor Moore, having 
been severely criticised for his former failure, proposed to or- 
ganize an expedition against the Spanish-Indian settlements in 
middle Florida. He was authorized to do so if he could raise a 
sufficient force without assistance from the public treasury. 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 123 

This he undertook to do, and, with only fifty mounted men and 
the aid of about one thousand Creek Indians, he passed down 
through southwestern Georgia and fell upon tlie Indian towns 
of the Appalachians. The first town attacked was defended by 
fifty warriors, and was reduced after a stout resistance. On the 
following day the commander of the principal town. Fort San 
Luis, with a force of twenty-three Spaniards and four hundred 
Indians, encountered the English and the Creeks. Don Juan 
Mexia, the Spanish commander, was killed in the battle, with 
eight of the Spanish soldiers. The Appalachian Indians lost 
two hundred of their number. This battle decided the fate of 
all the Indian towns. The king of Atimiaca, who occupied a 
strong fort with a garrison of one hundred and thirty men, 
terrified by the defeat and death of Mexia, offered his submis- 
sion. Governor Moore then visited all the Indian towns with- 
out experiencing further resistance. Five of the towns were 
fortified, and it is probable that, had Mexia met the English 
and Creeks behind his entrenchments, he might have repulsed 
them and rallied a sufficient force to drive them out of that re- 
gion. Moore is said to have entirely destroyed two of the In- 
dian towns, and to have carried away most of the people of 
seven others to be held as slaves, leaving only one town unde- 
stroyed, which made terms with him. The towns of San Luis, 
two miles west of Tallahassee, and Ayavalla, near the St. Mark's 
River, were burned with their chapels and forts. All of the 
towns were robbed of everything of value, including church 
])late, and desolation and ruin marked the track of the 
invaders. 

The Indian missions in that part of the country were thor- 
oughly broken up. The remains of these mission stations 
may yet be traced at several localities in Florida, and tradition 
has assigned them a far greater antiquity than they are really 
entitled to. ITsually a small fort and chapel were erected to- 
gether, surrounded with earthworks and ditches and witli pali- 



124 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

siides sufficient to withstand an attack from the Indians, the 
only enemies anticipated. The outlines of these earthworks 
may still be traced at Lake City and elsewhere. 

The war between Great Britain, France, and Spain still con- 
tinued in Europe, and in 1706 an expedition was projected by 
the French and Spanish to make a descent upon the Caro- 
linians. M. Le Febre commanded a French frigate and four 
ships, with which he touched at St. Augustine to take on board 
Spanish troops to cooperate in an attack upon Charleston. 
Proceeding to the coast of Carolina, the frigate by mistake 
entered Sewee Bay, the four sloops entering Charleston harbor. 
By the exercise of great prudence and some strategy, the Eng- 
lish governor was enabled to repel the attack, and eventually 
captured the frigate, with a large number of the Spanish allies. 

Two years afterwards C^olonel Barnwell, of South Carolina, 
made another incursion upon the Appalachee towns in middle 
Florida. After visiting San Luis and the region occupied by 
the missions, he passed on to the Alachua country and the St. 
John's Kiver. It was perhaps at this period that Capt. T. 
Nairn, of South Carolina, with a ]>arty of Yemassees, pene- 
trated to the headwaters of the St. John's Eiver and the vicinity 
of Lake Okechobee and brought back a number of captives for 
slaves, as noted on one of the maps in Moll's Atlas of 1719. 

The year 1714 was signalized by a great outbreak of the In- 
dian tribes on the borders of South Carolina. This was charged 
to tlie instigation of the Spaniards. The Indians made a com- 
bined and ])owerful attack uj)on the English settlements, but 
were defeated and driven out of the province. Retreating 
soiitliward into the Spanish })ossessions, they were gladly re- 
ceived. About four hundred of the Carolinians lost their 
lives in this outbreak. In the mean time French colonization 
had been jmsbed along the Gulf and upon the banks of the Mis- 
sissip])i. Tlieir settlements were liberally supplied and rein- 
forced from France, and some became permanent and pros- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 125 

perous communities. The settlements at Mobile and Pensacola 
were so near each other that jealousies and collisions naturally 
arose upon the question of possession and limits. For a long 
time the treasure-fleets sent from Mexico to Spain passed near 
the shores of Florida. In 1715 fourteen vessels^ laden with a 
very large amount of gold and silver, were wrecked on Carysfort 
reef and an immense amount of treasure lost. Much of this 
was afterwards recovered l)y a party of Spaniards sent for this 
jjurpose, hut the knowledge of this recovery, coming to the Eng- 
lish at Jamaica, they sent an expedition to tlie point where the 
Avreckers were engaged and rohhed them of all they had re- 
covered, amounting to three hundred and fifty thousand dol- 
lars. This is a notable illustration cf the character and ideas 
jof the people and of tlie times. 

The Yemassees, who had been driven out of Carolina into 
Florida, kept up a constant and harassing warfare upon the 
English settlements, cs})ecially upon the families on the frontier. 
It seems to be well establislied that the Spanish authorities in 
Florida instigated this warfare and protected their allies. Many 
instances of savage barbarity are related. An historian of Caro- 
lina relates that at this jjeriod a scalping party of Yemassees 
from Florida ^lenetrated as far as the Euhati lands, where, hav- 
ing surprised John Lent and two of his neighbors, they 
brained them with their tomahawks. They then seized Mrs. 
Barrows and one of her children and carried them oft' with 
them. The child, frightened by the presence of the savages, 
began to cry, when it was immediately killed before the eyes of 
its mother, and she was warned to cease her demonstrations of 
grief or she should share the fate of her child. She was then 
carried to St. Augustine, delivered to the Spanish governor, 
and thrown into prison against the remonstrance of one of the 
Yemassee chiefs, who related that he had known her a long time 
and that she was a good woman. Subsequently Mr. Barrow 
went to St. Augustine to ])rocure his wife's release, but he, too. 



126 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

was thrown into prison and died shortly afterwards. Mrs. Bar- 
row was eventually allowed to return to Carolina, and gave an 
account of the barbarous treatment which she had received. 
She said that the Spaniards evinced great satisfaction at the 
number of scalps brought in by the Indians, and rewards were 
given to them to induce them to make these attacks, with in- 
structions to spare none but negroes, who were to l)e brought to 
St, Augustine. Don Juan d'Ayala was at this time governor 
of East Florida. Benavides succeeded D'Ayala as governor 
of St. Augustine, De Salinas of Pensacola. Salinas was suc- 
ceeded in 1717 by Pedro Metamoras. 

At the instance of the Appalachee Indians, Eibera, the gov- 
ernor of St. Augustine, erected a fort at St. Mark's in 171S, 
which was named San Marcos de Apalache. In the same year 
the French erected a fort on St. Joseph's Bay, which they 
named Fort Crevecceur, which seems to have been a favorite 
name with the French. The Spanish governor remonstrated 
against this occupation of Florida, and the post was soon 
abandoned. 



CHAPTEE XXII 

Pensacola captured by tlie French — Regained by the Spaniards and 
recaptured by the French. 

A.D. 1719 

Monsieur de Bienvtlee, the French connnander at Dauphin 
Island, being informed that hostilities existed between Spain 
and France, fitted out an expedition in May, 1719, against 
Pensacola, and, having sent a large force of Indians by land, 
embarked his troops on board of three vessels to make a sud- 
den descent, with the hope of capturing the Spanish fort by 
surprise. 

He landed upon Santa Eosa Island, where there was an out- 
l)ost, the garrison of which he soon overpowered, and, some of 
the French troops putting on the uniforms of their captives, 
awaited the coming of a detachment sent to relieve the post, 
whom they disarmed on their arrival. 

Taking the boat which had brought over the Spaniards, the 
French, still disguised, passed over to the fort, seized the sen- 
tinel on duty, and took possession of the guard-house and fort, 
taking prisoner the commander in his bed, and thus captured 
the whole place without having fired a shot. Such is the 
French account of the matter. 

The Spanish authorities say that the fort was assaulted by 
four French frigates, which opened fire upon the castle of San 
Carlos, and, after five hours of cannonading, the castle being un- 
able to reply effectively, having only a garrison of one hundred 
and sixty men and provisions for only fifteen days, surrendered 
on condition of being- allowed to march out with the honors of 



128 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

war, that they .should be sent in French vessels to Havana, and 
that the town should not be sacked nor private property mo- 
lested. Both accounts can hardly be exactly true. 

The garrison was carried to Havana, where, by the perfidy of 
the Spanish commander at that place, the vessels were seized 
and their crews and officers cast into prison. At the instance of 
Governor Metamoras, immediate steps were taken for the re- 
eajjture of Pensacola. Bienville had placed a garrison of only 
sixty men in the Spanish fort, under the command of Sieur de 
ChateaugLie. The Spaniards fitted out the vessel called the 
Due de Xoailles, wJiich they had i)erfidiously taken from the 
French at Havana, and a Spanish frigate to endeavor to retake 
the fort from the French. The ruse was adopted of sending in 
the French ship first, which, on being hailed, ran up the French 
flag and gave the name of the Frencli captain who had formerly 
commanded her, and was thereupon allowed to pass into jiort. 
When aljreast of the fort she was joined by her consort, the flag 
of S})ain displayed, and the garrison summoned to surrender. 
A brisk cannonade ensued, with but ti'ifiing damage to the gar- 
rison. In order to gain time, Chateaugue asked an armistice of 
four days. The Spanish captain allowed him two days, and 
Chateaugue sent a message to Mobile for assistance, which 
Bienville was unable to send. At the expiration of the two 
days the action was resumed until niglit, during which most of 
tlie garrison escaj3ed, and on the following day the fort was sur- 
rendered, and what was left of the garrison sent as prisoners of 
war to Havana. The Spanish commander thereupon proceeded 
to strengthen the fortification, and having, as he deemed, suf- 
ficiently secured the place from assault, set out with the forces 
under liis command to attack the Frencli settlement at Daupliiu 
Island. Owing to the skill and courage of Bienville, the Span- 
iards, although superior in numbers, were unable to effect a 
landing, and, five French vessels coming up, the Spanish retired 
to Pensacola. The French at Dauphin Island, now strongly 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 129 

reinforced, determined in turn to recapture Pensacola, and soon 
afterwards landed a force on the Perdido to assail the town in 
the rear, while their fleet proceeded by sea. Some difficulty 
was experienced in carrying the flagship, the Hercules, which 
drew twenty-one feet of water, into Pensacola Bay, hut by the 
skill of a Canadian pilot she crossed the l)ar safely. For this 
service the i)ilot received a patent of nobility, of questionable 
value to him. 

The French say that, upon the appearance of their land 
forces, accompanied by a large body of Indians, the garrison, 
after a very feeble resistance, retired to a new fort which they 
had hastily erected on Point Siguenza, called Principe de 
Asturias. The Spanish accounts, however, say they fought 
with most heroic valor until their guns were dismounted 
at Siguenza, and their vessels forced to surrender, and that 
the French vessels, having then entered the harbor, the castle 
was forced to surrender. This took place September 18, 1719. 

The French account of the capture awards great credit to the 
commander at Fort Principe de Asturias for his gallant defense, 
which was continued until his ammunition failed, while it is 
said that the commander of Fort San Carlos displayed great 
cowardice. 

On the following day a Spanish vessel entered the harbor with 
supplies and dispatches from the governor at Havana to the 
governor of Pensacola, the dispatches saying that he was con- 
fident that the Spanish forces had succeeded in conquering all 
the places held by the French in that country, and directing all 
prisoners to be sent to Havana to work in the mines, in order to 
avoid the expense of feeding them. 

The French commander, feeling unal)le to spare the force to 
effectually hold the place, concluded to destroy the fortifica- 
tions and the public buildings, burn the town, leaving only a 
few small Iniildings to shelter a guard left in charge of one 
small Ijattery. 



130 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Before leaving, the French commander caused the following 
inscription to be inscribed upon a tablet placed on the ruins of 
the fort : " In the year 1719, upon the 18th day of September, 
M. Desnade de Champmeslin, commander of the squadron of 
his most Christian Majesty, took tliis place by force of arms, as 
well as the Island of Santa Rosa, by order of the king of 
France." After returning first to Dauphin Island, the French 
fleet afterwards sailed for France, carrying with them the Span- 
ish garrison of Pensacola as prisoners of war. 

Thus, after having been thrice assaulted and thrice captured 
within a period of three months, Pensacola was laid in ashes, 
and the quiet of desolation brooded over the spot, for there was 
no longer anything to capture or anything to defend. The 
town, first built by the Spaniards, and destroyed in 1719, was 
built in the vicinity of Barrancas. On the opposite point, called 
Point Siguenza, Port Principe de Asturias had stood, and 
was destroyed at the same time as Fort Carlos. In 1722, by a 
treaty of peace between France and Spain, Pensacola, or what 
was left of it, was restored to the Spanish crown with West 
Florida. 

When the harbor was reoccupied in 1722 bytlie Spaniards the 
town was rebuilt on Santa Rosa Island, near where Fort Pickens 
now stands. This location was occupied until some time be- 
tween 1743 and 17(53, when, the inhabitants having begun to 
plant upon the northern side of the bay, and the location upon 
the island being sterile and sandy, the settlement was gradually 
transferred to the north side of the bay, and in 1763 the pres- 
ent towij was laid out in the form of a city, the streets crossing 
each other at right angles, making blocks of four hundred by 
two hundred feet, with a large common fronting~on the bay 
about fifteen hundred feet in lengtli by one thousand in 
breadth. The present city of Pensacola may l)e considered to 
date back its existence to the year 1750. 

In the mean time the dilficulties between the neiyhborini? 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 131 

provinces of Florida and Carolina had increased. The Spanish 
authorities at St. Augustine harljored as well as encouraged the 
negroes who deserted from the English settlements, against the 
continued and urgent remonstrances of the governor of Caro- 
lina. The Spanish authorities, it was claimed, had connived at, 
if not actually incited, tlie incursions of the Yemassees ujion 
the exposed frontier of the English colony. To guard against 
these forays a small fort had been erected on the banks of the 
Altamaha, called Fort George. This was regarded hy the Span- 
ish authorities as an encroachment upon Spanish territory, and 
representations were accordingly made to the British crown. 
A conference of the two governors was thereupon directed to 
be held to endeavor to settle amicably the points in dispute be- 
tween the two provinces. For this purpose Don Francisco Me- 
nendez and Don Jose Eibera came to Charleston in 1735 to con- 
fer with Governor ]\Iiddleton. In reply to the claim of the 
Spanish envoys that the fort at the mouth of the Altamaha 
was within the limits of Florida, Governor ^liddleton showed 
them that it was built within the bounds of the charter which 
granted to the proprietors of South Carolina all the lands be- 
tween the 31st and 3()th degrees of north latitude, and that the 
pretensions of Spain to such lands were groundless. To Gov- 
ernor Middleton's demand for their reasons for protecting 
felons and debtors and encouraging negroes to leave their mas- 
ters, they answered that the king of Spain felt himself obliged 
by hunumity and religion to issue such orders for the sake of 
converting slaves to the Christian faith. Nothing was settled 
by this conference, but shortly afterwards the fort at Altamaha 
was burned by design or accident and abandoned. As no set- 
tlement of boundaries had been arrived at, the Indians in al- 
liance with Spain continued to harass the English settlements, 
killing white men and carrying off negroes. To put a stop to 
this condition of affairs. Colonel Palmer, in 1727, raised a force 
of three hundred volunteers and a body of friendly Indians, 



132 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

with which he made a rapid descent upon the Indian and Span- 
ish settlements in Florida. Pushing forward to the very gates 
of St. Augustine, he compelled the inhabitants to again take 
refuge in the fort. Hardly a house or hut in the colony escaped 
destruction, provisions were destroyed in the fields, stock car- 
ried off, and the Yemassee towns burned. This chastisement 
seems to have for a time at least repressed further incursions 
on the part of Spanish Indians upon the English settlements. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

Siege of St. Augustine by Oglethorpe. 
A.D. 1 740 

The English settlement of Carolina was hegiin in 1070, at 
Port Royal, and in the following year at Charleston. The oc- 
cupation of the conntry had never extended south of the Savan- 
nah River except in the building and brief occupancy of Fort 
George, at the mouth of the Altamaha. 

In 1730 a scheme was set on foot by Sir Robert Montgomery 
and his associates for colonizing the country lying between the 
Savannah and Altamaha Rivers for the benefit of the very poor 
immigrants. This district was named Azalia, and is shown on 
Moll's Atlas of 1719. This particular scheme, however, fell 
through, but led to the formation of a larger plan for vesting in 
trustees the region of country between the Savannah and the 
Altamaha River, for the benefit of poor but industrious set- 
tlers, under the designation of Georgia, for which letters patent 
were issued in 1732. Sixty-two years after the settlement of 
Carolina, Governor Oglethorpe accompanied the first settlers 
to Savannah. A settlement of Scotch Highlanders was foruied 
on the banks of the Altamaha and a fort was built at Frederica. 

In 1736 the Spanish governor at St. Augustine sent a com- 
misioner to Governor Oglethorpe, requiring him to surrender 
at once and evacuate all the lands south of St. Helena Sound, 
as they belonged to the king of Spain, who was determined not 
to allow them to be occupied by any other nation. Oglethorpe 
maintained the right of the English crown to all the territory 



134 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

occuiDied by him, and declined to comply with the requirements 
of the Spanish governor. From the imperious nature of the de- 
mand, Ogletliorpe rightly conjectured that he might expect soon 
an armed invasion of his territory, and he proceeded at once to 
England to direct the attention of the crown to the dangers that 
menaced his infant colony. 

J^nglish commerce had already suffered severely from the in- 
terference of Spain, and a feeling of hostility to Spanish pre- 
tensions occupied the public mind. Supported by the king and 
aided by popular sentiment, Oglethorpe was able to make prep- 
arations for the protection of Georgia against the anticipated 
attack. He returned to Georgia in 1739 with the commission of 
major-general, a regiment of soldiers, and considerable pe- 
cuniary aid, and on his arrival proceeded to erect forts and put 
the province in a state of defense. The Spanish forces at St. 
Augustine were largely increased, and both sides labored as- 
siduously to strengthen themselves for the conflict by securing 
the alliance of the neighboring Indian tribes. Of these the 
Creeks were the most powerful, and they took sides with the 
English. ISTegotiations were in the mean time being carried on. 
The English demanded redress for the injuries inflicted upon 
their commerce, for which the Spaniards agreed to make pay- 
ment provided the territory occupied by Oglethorj^e was given 
up, which was refused, and so the negotiations failed. The 
Spanish authorities at St. Augustine sent emissaries to the 
borders of Carolina to entice away negroes, promising them 
freedom and protection. Many negroes had gone to them from 
time to time, a sufficient number, it was said, to form a regi- 
ment, which was placed on the same footing as the Spanish 
regulars. 

In October, 1739, war was declared by Great Britain against 
Spain, and a squadron was sent to the West Indies to cooperate 
with Oglethorpe in his intended operations against the Spanish 
province of Florida. He at once planned an expedition to 




POKTRAIT OF GENERAL UULETIIUBPE 



13G HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

operate against St. Augustine, and visited South Carolina to 
engage assistance from that colony, as a result of which a joint 
expedition by land and sea was agreed upon. 

Carolina raised a regiment of four hundred men, under Colo- 
nel Vanderdussen. The assistance of several Indian tribes 
was secured, and a naval force to consist of four twenty-gun 
ships and two sloops was to take part in the attack. Ogletliorpe 
liad ascertained that the garrison was not very strong and was 
l)oor]3' provisioned, and therefore urged forward his prepara- 
tions with great vigor, in order to make the attack before Span- 
ish reinforcements arrived. It was the latter part of April, 
however, before he was ready to move. 

In the mean time Monteano, the energetic Spanish governor, 
liad learned of the contemplated attack, and liad strengthened 
liis defenses. The garrison was increased, the approaches to 
the fort guarded, and the most earnest solicitations for a supply 
of provisions made on the governor of Havana. There were 
only a few Spanish out])osts held by detachments outside of St. 
Augustine. One was on Cumberland Island, ])ut was with- 
drawn on account of its distance and isolation. Another, 
called St. Nicolas, was on the St. John's Eiver, near the 
mouth ; and two at Picolata, up the river, in the rear of St. 
Augustine ; the largest on the west bank of the river, called San 
Francis de Poppa, and which held a garrison of sixty men; tlie 
other at Picolata, on the east bank, had only ten men. These 
forts wore designed to keep in check the Indians, and to protect 
the route from St. Augustine to St. Mark's. A detachment 
from St. Augustine had recently landed on Amelia Island and 
killed two unarmed sick men, cut oif their heads, and mangled 
their bodies. Oglethorpe shortly afterwards pursued them into 
Florida, swept the River St. John's, landed and drove in the 
Spanish outposts, hunting their cattle and ravaging the coun- 
try. He seems to have considered the west bank of the St. 
John's as within the English limits, and in an otFicial communi- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 187 

cation speaks of the huilding of San Francis de Poppa as a 
Spanish encroachment. Lieutenant Dunbar, with a small force, 
attacked Fort IMcolata, hut failed to take it. In January, 1740, 
Oglethorpe headed an expedition against San Francis de Poppa 
and cai)tured it, placing a garrison there and adding to its 
strength. Oglethorpe's polic}' was to prevent aggression, by 
assuming the initiative, to attack before being attacked. He 
liad at his command the regiment of regulars just arrived from 
England, a company of Scotch Highlanders Avho had settled on 
the Altauiaha, and a force of friendly Indians. Carolina was to 
furnish a regiment four hundred strong, and he was to have 
the cooperation of four English frigates of twenty guns. 

Having by his operations in December and January aroused 
,the Spanish authorities to preparations for defense, Oglethorpe 
felt the importance of following up his attack as speedily as pos- 
sible, but, as is usual with such expeditions made up of con- 
tingents and lacking order and discipline, there were delays, so 
that it was the last of May before the land forces reached the 
mouth of the St. John's River, about forty miles north of St. 
Augustine. Aljout midway between the mouth of the St. 
John's and St. Augustine there was a small fort and garrison, 
called San Diego, which, on the arrival of Oglethorpe, was 
evacuated by its garrison. About two miles north of St. Au- 
gustine was Fort Moosa, usually called the negro fort, it having 
been constructed for fugitive slaves from Carolina. It was 
l)uilt near the IS'^orth Eiver- in open ground, was square, with a 
flanker in each corner, l)anked around with earth, surrounded 
by a ditch lined with prickly palmettoes, and contained a 
house, a well, and a lookout. 

The English found Fort Moosa deserted and partially de- 
stroyed it, but afterwards concluded to occupy it. Colonel 
Palmer was stationed there with one hundred and thirty-three 
men, comprising Mcintosh's Highlanders and some infan- 
try, mounted me]i, and also some Indians. Palmer protested 



138 . HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

against remaining isolated with so small a force. Lieutenant 
Bryant, after a reconnoissance, reported the town to be in great 
confusion, and recommended an immediate attack. Oglethorpe, 
making a reconnoissance in person, was unwilling to expose his 
men in so hazardous an attack upon a strong fortress, and de- 
cided to fall hack to Diego and await the arrival of the Carolina 
troops under Colonel Vanderdussen, who arrived on the Gth of 
June, and the fleet appeared at the same time. Oglethorpe pro- 
ceeded to erect batteries on Anastasia Island, opposite the fort, 
and opened fire on the 24th of June. The main battery was 
located on the point opposite the fort, and mounted four eigh- 
teen-pounders and one nine-pounder. Another battery was 
placed on some high, wooded ground, mounting two eighteen- 
pounders. The third was on North Beach, and had seven 
])ieces. Thirty-four mortars were also placed in position. 

On Sunday night, June 25th, an attack was made from the 
fort b}^ a body of three hundred men against Palmer's detach- 
ment at Fort Moosa. Owing to various causes, there were in- 
subordination in the command and a want of ordinary disci- 
pline and precaution. The English were taken by surprise. 
Colonel Palmer was killed and twenty prisoners taken. The 
English say the Spanish force was made up of convicts and 
negroes. Their commander was killed and 02ie other officer, 
and fifty of the men. The result was encouraging to the Span- 
ish governor and depressing to the besiegers, as they were suf- 
fering from midsummer heat and annoyed by swarms of insect 
pests. As soon as Oglethorpe had his batteries in position he 
had formally summoned the Spanish garrison to surrender. 
Governor Monteano returned his answer, in which he swore by 
the Holy Cross that he would defend the castle to the last drop 
of his blood, and hoped soon to " kiss his Excellency's hands 
within its walls." 

The cooperation of the fleet, owing to there not being water 
enough on the bar for the vessels to enter, and the distance from 



AViEWoithe- TOWNiMid. (L\STIjE of STAUGUSTINE. 
audthe ENGLISH CAMP before it June 20.i;40.by THO" SILVER. 






«^*«C*5- 




^ UeEniUsK a Irriuh^ fJ^ &2 ^maJl }&*r ^ 

I lH/u-sf H) t whria uc played md 20Cc ^-ns 

{. Eusiatia Island whidv is duzHy Simd &Iiiish » 

[1 ftulor.f hnwUhg Cannorv. in/ reactf of the Castle. 

L A SorllL Traich 3 ^& a. MorTar of 24 I 10 ^*^ 

t" Gen' O^ethorp'9 Soldiers IndtOJis i Sailors Ttjits 

G A Lookout uiken the IZ'^ofJurtt 

H Soldiers and. Sailors binding June the^Uf* 

\ A Sand Battery tputed at our approach. 

R t.'ap*Warrpu Oommander over the Sailors hoisdng 

the /TnianFta^ eiriboard'of Schooner 
1. r}u Sailors wells in Water the Shipping) 

1 FUunborGugh. 2 ffeetor. 5 Squirrel, 
^''^' 4 Tartar. brhanU. 
.Unops Wolf. 7 Spout 

Etnploy'ft in this Erpeditiofv about 200Seame>t 
4(10 Soldiers and 300 InditULf 

Forces 'of At Spaniards iOOO besides a strong di -'le 
atut 4 Fortifyed Porks and iv Shadow Rtw hindting 
our Slapping f Flayi/i^bn, the/it 



C^iTr-^JLtheHa. a.id t.P S^o'tt-Ii Cap. Wamn of 20 Guns aduh 
siJes ift* ^ence S)i>op Cspi'Ztim:. ;mJ. rt^ Wrg." C^?ffer^rige^. 

On L'u 2fG)U Vandtc Ihiatai wuA 000 Caroliiiit Soldurff afipaitrd 
t,!^yort.h ffflfiermm..Ofvau>S^<ivn.\ O^etiujrpe -tmm by Se^ 
witfv J/*.'' Soldiers and. JOO Jr^iiians frem Georgia. Ot, the je?^Ae_y 
wfj-o airruxi a Shorr irv fh^Skn of ft'tzrs hoatj undtr the eo*a- of 
rfi^ sfiutn- Shipf Guns. Thc^ Landed on. Ott UJa n d Eiuiatia with • 
cut Oppoiiiion and wok' the. Lookout, at. G. 

fetj^aujert luutwred in- ttuir Martowjusc out ofCuuwn shor- tdl 



o/ar 



titu^Gfnvy 






/ lu3iinKt} (WLHwr wai oeeaaiend by a liaar bought VtOiory, wkuh, 
> SpunitiTtts hiiit obtain 'd o^nr SO Mightondert SO of whom- wtrt 
s kiUi/ig tltrief^lutr ntmtbtr.' 



Oglethorpe's fleet before st. augustine 



140 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

their anchorage being too great for any effective bombardment, 
was of little aid, and Oglethorpe was obliged to rely upon his 
batteries and the hope that Monteano's meager supply of pro- 
visions would give out. The shallow bar, allowing less than 
ten feet, was a chief factor in favor of the Spaniards, as they 
would have soon been forced to surrender had the Englisli ves- 
sels been able to come in. It does not appear clearly why, witli 
a knowledge of this circumstance, Oglethorpe had not ])ro- 
vided liimself with sufficient vessels of less draught, l)ut it was 
probably difficult to do so. 

It is said on English authority, and is not unlikely, that the 
majorit}^ of the people in 8t. Augustine were in favor of a sur- 
render on condition that they should be permitted to go to 
Havana, but the governor and the bishop, who, it is said, had 
come to a knowledge of the time the English men-of-war in- 
tended to stay, would not consent. It was a question of how 
long the Spanish garrison and peo])le of the town could wait 
for the supplies they anticipated and greatly needed. 

Oglethorpe had guarded the Matanzas entrance at the south 
end of Anastasia Island, but, to effectually prevent the passage 
of boats, he should have occupied a point commanding the 
island passage. So the siege went on, cannon against cannon ; 
the batteries continued to play upon the town and fort but 
with indifferent success, owing to the short range of the guns, 
the want of skill in handling the mortars, but still more to the 
peculiar nature of the material of which the fort was built, be- 
ing constructed of stone formed by the natural aggregation 
and cementing of small shells thoroughly compacted, soft and 
yielding in appearance, but offering very much the same re- 
sistance as cotton or a bank of sand. The shot from Ogle- 
thor2>e's cannon bedded in the wall to about their own diameter, 
but made no fracture. These indentations are still visible on 
the walls of the fort. With such guns as were then used, and 
at such a long distance, the fort was virtually impregnable to 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 141 

a b()iii1)ar(lment. The English chiimed that all the shells Hred, 
except three, broke either in the town or the fort; hut Montcano, 
in a report to the governor of Cuba, says that up to the 6th of 
July, although one hundred and fifty-three shells had fallen, 
neither the garrison nor the people had received any injury, 
which indicates great good luck or l)ad gunnery. Although the 
entrance at Matanzas was guarded by one of the English vessels, 
the better port of ^losquito, forty miles below, was open, and 
vessels could enter there, place their cargoes on small boats to 
be carried up the Halifax to the intervening haul-over, and thus 
reach St. Augustine through the inland passage by jMatanzas 
l\iver. Montcano had learned something of Oglethorpe's con- 
dition through deserters. Some Chickasaw Indians brought to 
Oglethorpe the head of a Spanish Indian as a trophy, but the 
general, wholly unaccustomed to the barbarities of savage war- 
fare, spurned the offering and called the Indians brutes, which 
was a righteous but not a politic speech. The Indians were 
greatly exasperated, and, unaccustomed to the slow and fruit- 
less progress of a siege, soon after deserted. 

Oglethorpe had realized the inefficiency of his batteries, but 
hoped still to reduce the place by starvation, until, on the 27th 
of June, he was informed by the captain of the vessel which lay 
off Matanzas bar that he had seen lying at Mosquito bar a large 
sloop, two schooners, and some launches. Montcano says that 
on the 7th of July he received intelligence that vessels had ar- 
rived at Mosquito bringing him supplies. Allowing for the dif- 
ference in computation of time, it appears that Montcano and 
Oglethorpe must have been informed about the same time of 
the arrival of the vessels, which brought a great relief to Mon- 
tcano and a great discouragement to Oglethorpe. On the same 
day the commander of the fleet informed Oglethorpe that, on 
account of the easterly winds, he would be obliged to ship his 
anchors and stand off. 

Oglethorpe seems then to have contemplated making a night 



142 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

assault, at least so a deserter informed Monteano, and that it 
was the intention of the English to attack him during one of 
the dark nights that were approaching. In the mean time the 
Spanish supply vessels were safely discharged at Mosquito, and 
the transshipment hy the inland route was begun and carried 
on safely, until rendered unnecessary by the removal of the 
English blockading vessel at Matanzas inlet. On the 3d of 
July Colonel Yanderdussen's scouts on Anastasia Island dis- 
covered launches coming \\\) Matanzas River, and he thereupon 
went with a detachment to the narrows, hoping to cut off the 
passage of the launches, but was driven off by the armed galleys 
which now guarded the river. 

The next day the question of abandoning the siege was dis- 
cussed by the English commanders. Colonel Vanderdussen, 
it is said, opposed the withdrawing, but Oglethorpe felt that the 
means at his command were wholly inadequate for attaining his 
purpose. Many of the men were sick, the fleet had withdrawn, 
and the Spanish were known to have received supplies, so that 
there was no longer any hope of reducing them by starvation. 

It was thereupon decided to raise the siege and abandon the 
enterprise for the present. On the 7th of July most of the guns 
from the batteries were placed on board the ships, which went 
out on the 9th. I'liree six-pounders were buried in the sand at 
Point Cartel, and one eighteen-poimder at the battery nearest 
the fort. The troops marched on the 10th, " with banners 
flying and drums beating," but were unable to provoke an 
attack from Monteano, he thinking, doubtless, " that prudence 
was the better part of valor." The loss at Fort Moosa was the 
only serious one sustained l)y the English. The Carolina regi- 
ment lost, besides eight men by sickness, four by accident and 
two by desertion by the enemy. 

The failure of the expedition created great dissatisfaction in 
Carolina, and, as usual, recriminations were indulged in ; dis- 
putes arose between the Carolina and Georgia partisans, each 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 1-13 

endeavoring to throw the entire responsibility of failure upon 
the other. A court-martial exonerated General Oglethorpe. 

Monteano was informed by deserters that it was the purpose 
of Oglethorpe to returii in the following winter with a larger 
force, and he accordingly labored with great diligence to 
strengthen his position and urge upon the governor of Cuba 
the necessity of sending him reinforcements. The fort had 
sustained no material injury in the bombardment, but more 
troops were needed, for, according to Monteano's statement, he 
had only a nominal force of seven hundred and lifty men, and 
of thes# only three hundred could be relied upon for active 
duty. He asked for three hundred and ninety-four more to 
enable him to resist the expected attack of Oglethorpe. These 
three hundred to be " men-at-arms, mulattoes, and free ne- 
groes," to be sent immediately, and the regulars and the artil- 
lery not later than the ensuing December. 

Eight companies of infantry were sent to Monteano, and the 
following spring, finding that the expected attack from the 
English did not take place, the Spanish governor advised that 
South Carolina and Georgia should be attacked. A destructive 
fire had occurred in Charleston, consuming three hundred of 
the best buildings, and the province being greatly depressed by 
heavy indebtedness, on account of the Florida expedition, Mon- 
teano thought the time a favorable one to make an invasion 
with a good promise of success. Monteano's suggestion docs 
]iot appear to have received immediate attention, and the year 
1T41 passed without active 0})eration on either side. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

Governor Monteano's attack upon Oglethorpe at St. Simon's Island — The 
signal victory achieved by Oglethorpe over the Spaniards. 

A.D. 1742 

In the spring of 1742 an expedition was organized in Havana 
to operate against the English settlements in Georgia. It con- 
sisted of some two thousand men from Havana, to be joined at 
St. Augustine by a portion of the garrison at that phice. Some 
delay occurred at St. Augustine in getting ready to join the 
troops from Havana. 

In the mean time Oglethorpe had become apprised of the 
movement, and sent a message to the governor of Carolina, 
asking aid from that quarter. He also communicated with 
friendly tribes and secured their assistance. Xo effort was 
spared to strengthen his position and to use to the best advan- 
tage his limited means of defense. He constructed a fort and 
battery at the entrance of St. Simon's Sound, and to some ex- 
tent fortified the town of Frederica, but the aid from Carolina 
failed to arrive, and he was left to meet the attack as best he 
could. The Spanish fleet appeared off St. Simon's bar on the 
5th of July. It consisted of thirty-six sail^ with Governor 
Monteano in command. Oglethorpe had mounted guns on a 
merchant ship and two schooners in the harbor, and kept up a 
steady fire from these vessels, from the fort, and from a battery 
he had constructed on shore. After four hours' engagement 
Monteano passed the fort and batteries and sailed up the river. 
Oglethorpe then decided to destroy his guns in the battery at 
Fort St. Simon's and retreat to Frederica, which was about 
eiglit mill's distant, on the banks of tlie south branch of the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 145 

Altamalia. The Spaniards moved up to a point about four 
miles below Frederica, landed some five thousand men, and 
marched to the abandoned fort and made an entrenched camp. 
Among- the troops landed was a regiment of artillery, a regi- 
ment of dismounted dragoons, a regiment of negroes, and 
anotlier of mulattoes, besides the Havana battalion and the St. 
Augustine forces. A detachment marched on the following day 
towards Frederica, and approached within a mile of that place 
before their presence was known. Oglethorpe, with a portion 
of his force, hastened to meet them, and charged them with 
such effect that nearly all of the party, consisting of one hun- 
dred and sixty, were either killed or wounded or taken pris- 
oners. The pursuit was continued several miles to a savanna 
Ijordcred by woods, in which he placed three platoons and a 
company of Highlanders in a position to connnand the passage 
through which the Spanish forces would be oldiged to pass. 
Oglethorpe returned to Frederica, but the Spanish force, having 
immediately advanced upon his troops and driven part of them 
in retreat, were returning to their camp, and, having stacked 
arms, were taking a rest, when they were suddenly attacked 
from ambush and entirely routed, and but few escaped to their 
camp. A few days afterwards the Spanish galleys attempted 
an attack on Frederica by water, but were repulsed and forced 
to return to the fleet. Oglethorpe learned that in the action 
at the marsh Monteano lost four ca})tains and over two hun- 
(h'ed men, and that a numl)er had also Ijeen killed in passing the 
l)atteries. 

The p]nglish general determined to avail himself of the evi- 
dent discouragement prevailing in the Spanish camj), and l)y a 
night attack still further demoralize them. He accordingly 
marched his forces at night to the neighborhood of the Spanish 
camp, l)ut the desertion of a Frenchman, who fired off his 
piece and in the confusion fled to the enemy, disconcerted his 
plans and caused him to abandon the attack. 
10 



146 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

This apparently unfortunate incident was, however, turned 
to good account by tlie ready genius of Oglethorj)e. Calling in 
one of his Spanish jirisoners, he gave him a sum of money and 
])romised him his liherty if he would carry a letter to the French 
deserter, which he promised he would faithfully do. This 
letter was written in French, and purjiorted to bo written by a 
friend of the Frenchman, desiring him to 2:)ersuade the Spanish 
that the P]nglish forces were weak and could be easily overcome, 
and he was then to induce the S})aniards, if possible, to allow 
him to pilot them np a safe passage to the English fort, but he 
was to bring them directly upon concealed batteries, and, if he 
was not able to do that, to nse all of his influence to keep them 
at least three days more in camp at St. Simon's, as within that 
time, according to advices just received, the English would be 
reinforced by two thousand infantry and six men-of-war, which 
had already sailed from Charleston ; and, by way of postscript, 
he was cautioned against mentioning that Admiral Vernon was 
aljout to make a descent upon St. Augustine. When the Span- 
iard arrived in camp he was asked how he escaped and whether 
he had any letters, but denying that he had any, he was strictly 
searched and the letter found on him. Under promise of par- 
don, he confessed that he had received money to deliver it to the 
Frenchman, for the letter was not directed to the Frenchman, 
l)ut he denied knowing the writer or any of its contents, and 
ju-otested that he was not a spy. As he had been employed by 
Monteano as a spy among the English, upon trial he was con- 
demned as douldy a spy. Some, however, regarded it as a de- 
vice inteiided to deceive ; but just then three sail of vessels be- 
ing descried, they concluded that the letter must be true, and 
liastened to get away as soon as possible so as not to be hemmed 
in. They hastily embarked, abandoning cannon and military 
stores, even leaving unburied some of the men who had just 
died of their wounds. Some of their galleys took the inland 
passage and attacked Fort William, on the south end of Cum- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 147 

Ix'rland Island, wliicli wari held by Lieut. John Stuart, well 
known afterwards as superintendent of Indian affairs. After 
three hours' boudjardiuent the Spanish forces retired from the 
attack. 

The S})anish forces engaged in this expedition amounted to 
over five thousand men. Most of them were regulars, aided hy 
a well-equipped fleet. Oglethorpe, with only three armed mer- 
chant vessels and six hundred men, defeated and forced the re- 
treat of eight times his own number — an achievement hardly 
paralleled in history, and which deservedly crowned Oglethorpe 
with everlasting fame and restored the prestige he had lost by 
the failure of his attack on St. Augustine. 

The news of his success filled all the English colonies with 
rejoicing and a sense of security. 

In March of the following year Oglethorpe made a sudden 
descent upon Florida, advancing up to the gates of St. Au- 
gustine, near which the Indians, who were in advance, attacked 
and slew forty S])anish soldiers. The Sjjanish garrison re- 
mained within the walls of the fort, and Oglethorpe retired. 
No further hostilities occurred, and Oglethorpe's success pro- 
tected his colony for many years from any further demonstra- 
tions against it. The garrison at St. Augustine was reduced 
to a mere defensive force, and in 1750 only five hundred men 
were on duty there. A treaty was concluded between Great 
IJritain and Spain in 1748, which caused a suspension of hostili- 
ties between the colonies. 

The progress of Freiu-h settlements in the West began to 
create uneasiness, as a conflict of interests seemed likely to 
sjiring up between the rival trading houses of the three nations. 
Upon the renewal of liostilities between Spain and Great 
Britain in 1702, Havana was captured by the English, which at 
once cut off St. Augustine from its home government and 
sources of supply. England had long desired to acquire Flor- 
ida, in order to complete her colonial boundaries, and the cap- 



148 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

ture of Havana seemed to offer a favorable opportunity for the 
acquisition of Florida by arranging for an exchange of Havana 
for Florida and the Bahamas. This was effected in the ar- 
rangement of the treaty between England, Spain, and France 
in February, 1763. By this treaty the provinces of East and 
West Florida were ceded to Great Britain and Havana restored 
to Spain. 



CHAPTER XXV 

The English occupation of B'lorida — Dr. TurnbuH's colony of Greeks and 
Minorcans at New Smyrna — Governor Grant's administration. 

A.D. 1 763-1 770 

The change of flags was excessively disagreeable to the 
Spanish population of Florida. Apart from the feeling engen- 
dered by long-continued hostilities between themselves and the 
neighljoring English colonies, there was the rancor of religious 
antipathies and traditional animosities, more bitter between 
Sj)aniards and Englishmen than any other people. The nine- 
teenth article of the treaty between Spain and England pro- 
vided that Ureat Britain should grant to the inhabitants of the 
countries ceded " the liberty of the Catholic religion, and that 
his Britannic ]\rajesty will, in consequence, give the most exact 
and ell'ectual orders that his new Eoman Catholic subjects may 
])rofess the worship of their religion according to the rites of the 
Roman C*atholic Church so far as the laws of Great Britain 
permit." 

It was also agreed that they might leave the country if they 
desired, a privilege of which the larger number availed them- 
selves rather than to pass under the flag of Great Britain. On 
the 7th of October, 1763, the king of Great Britain erected 
within the countries ceded by the treaty four separate govern- 
ments, called East Florida, West Florida, Quebec, and Grenada. 
The government of East Florida was declared to be bounded 
west by the Gulf of Mexico and the Appalachicola River, to the 
northward by a line drawn from that part of said river where 



150 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers meet to the source of the 
St. Mary's liiver, and thence with, the course of that river to 
the Atlantic Ocean, and eastward and southward by the Gulf of 
Florida, including all islands within six leagues of the shore. 

West Florida was bounded southward by the Gulf of Mexico 
from the Appalachicola to Lake Ponchartrain, westward hy the 
same lake. Lake Maurepas, and the Mississippi River, to the 
northward by a line drawn from that part of the Mississippi 
which lies in 31 degrees north latitude to the river Appalach- 
icola, and eastward by this river. It will thus Ije seen that 
Florida in 1763 embraced all the coast of Alabama and Missis- 
sippi and a part of the coast of Louisiana. The letters patent 
constituting the new governments authorized their governors, 
with the advice and consent of their respective councils, to 
summon general assemblies, with power to make laws for the 
public peace, welfare, and good government, as nearly as might 
be agreeable to the laws of England, and, under certain restric- 
tions, to establish courts of judicature. This was the first 
admission of representative government within the limits of 
Florida, and indicates the source of tlie unexampled success 
which attended all the etforts of Great Britain in the work 
of colonization. The narrow and restrictive regulations with 
which other powers endeavored to control their colonial de- 
pendencies and which were aggravated by the distance from the 
seat of power, gave no share of tlie government to tlie colonists 
themselves, and had a tendency to repress all enterprise and sub- 
due all public spirit. Colonies are usually increased in num- 
bers by the favorable re})resentations of their first settlers, and 
their opinions will be influenced favorably or otherwise quite 
as much by the institutions of a country as by its physical 
advantages. 

The Spanish system of colonial administration advanced 
none of the material interests of the country ; the inhab- 
itants were never treated as in any degree capable of govern- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA I5l 

ment, but collected around its garrisoned jjosts as parasites and 
(lei)endents, contented to live in safety under its protection 
and satisfied with salaries and petty employments. With the 
view of encouraging the speedy settlement of the newly ac- 
quired territories, the English governors were empowered and 
directed to grant lands without fee or charge to such reduced 
officers as had served during the late war and to such private 
soldiers as had been or should be disbanded in America and 
were actually residing there, and who should jiersonally apply 
for such gi'ants, subject, at the expiration of ten years, to the 
same quit-rents as other lands in the provinces in which they 
were granted, as also to the same conditions of cultivation and 
improvements. These grants were to be proportioned to the 
rank of the applicants. A field officer was to receive five thou- 
sand acres, a captain three thousand acres, a subaltern or staff 
officer two thousand, every non-commissioned officer tw^o hun- 
dred, and every private soldier fifty acres. At the time of the 
cession of Florida to England the Spanish flag had floated over 
tlie city of St. Augustine for one hundred and ninety years. 
Within that period the French had made settlements from the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence westward along the great lakes, on the 
Ohio, and on the Mississii)pi from the Falls of St. Anthony to 
the Gulf of Mexico. The English had occupied the whole 
Atlantic sealjoard with their colonies, wliich now comprised a 
])opulation of nearly three millions. At the end of nearly two 
hundred years from her first occupation of Florida, Spain oc- 
cu])ied but little more territory than at the beginning, and the 
entire population of Florida in 1703 hardly exceeded seven 
thousand S])anish inhabitants, gathered principally within the 
towns of St. Augustine and Pensacola. The people .-w^ere 
mostly (lei)endent upon civic and military employment from the 
government, exhibiting but little industry or enterprise. The 
change of government of course involved the loss of official 
employment^ and this portion of the inhabitants withdrew at 



15-3 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

once to Mexico and the West Indies. The oppressive conduct 
of Major Ogilvie, who was in temporary command over the 
jirovinces immediately after the cession, is said to have had 
much influence in causing the removal of the Spanish inhah- 
itants, which was so complete that not more than five persons 
remained, and, had it not been for the efforts of the command- 
ing officer, the retiring inhabitants would have destroyed every 
liouse and building in St. Augustine. The Spanish governor 
destroyed his fine garden, and the inhabitants, before they left, 
not only assumed to sell their houses in town, but the whole 
country to a few gentlemen who remained there for that piir- 
pose. Gen. James Grant was appointed the first English gov- 
ernor of East Florida in 17()3, and proceeded at once to adopt 
most salutary measures to i>romote the settlement of the prov- 
ince and tlie development of its resources. In a proclamation 
issued October, 17(i7, he especially refers to the great salubrity 
of the country and the extreme age which its inhaljitants had 
attained. He referred also to tlie advantages which the climate 
offered for the production of indigo and the fruits and tropical 
productions of the West Indies. 

Under the impetus given by government aid, attention was 
drawn to Florida, and immigration in every way encouraged. 
Puldic roads were laid out, and so well constructed that they re- 
main to this day the best in the State, and are still called the 
" king's roads.'' Bounties were offered upon indigo, naval 
stores, etc., in order to stinuilate their production. Pamj^hlets 
and books descriptive of the country were issued in England, 
and letters recounting its many advantages appeared in the 
jiewspaper pul)lieations of the day, and two or more works 
on Florida, with engraved illustrations, were issued from the 
press. 

Commodore George Johnston, of the British navy, who was 
appointed governor of West Florida, came to Pensacola in 
1764 and published a description of the colony with the view 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 153 

of attracting settlers. Considerable immigration took place, 
both of white settlers and negro slaves. 

The road from Fort Barrington, on the St. Mary's River, to 
St. Augustine, now called the King's Road, was constructed in 
1705 by the subscription of several ])ul)lic-spirited gentlemen, 
aiiKmg whom were Glovernor (J rant, Tjieutenant-Governor Moul- 
trie, aud Messrs. Forbes, Fish, Izard, Pinkney, Gerard, Walton, 
J\Ianigault, Oswald, Huger, Henry, Laurens, Elliot, Murray, 
and others, names indicatiug tluit many distinguished fami- 
lies of South Carolina l)eariug these names once belonged to 
Florida. 

A considerable emigration, consisting of a1)out forty families, 
went from the Bermudas in 17'(I(i to ^Mosquito, witli the jmrpose 
of engaging in ship-building. Tlie fine trunks of live-oak in 
tliat nc'igld)orhood had attracted tlie attention of tlie British 
government, and was considered one of the most valuable fruits 
of the acquisition of Florida. 

An association was formed in London, at tlie head of wliich 
was Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scotch gentleman, having in view 
the settlement of the large and very valuable body of land lying 
near ]\Iosquito inlet. They proposed to accomplish this pur- 
pose by obtaining settlers from the south of Europe and the 
Mediterranean islands, Minorca, etc., who, placed in a similar 
climate, might successfully transplant and cultivate the pro- 
ductions of their own countries in the rich lands of Florida. 

Sir William Duncan and Dr. Turnbull, at an expense of one 
hundred and sixty-six thousand dollars, brought from Smyrna, 
tlie Greek islands, Italy, and IMinorca, aljout fifteen hundred 
people under indentures, and formed a settlement at Mosquito, 
which they named New Smyrna. Their indentures required 
the settlers, in consideration of the sum paid for iheir passage 
and support, to labor for the proprietors a certain number of 
years, at the end of which they were to be entitled to receive 
allotments of land in jjroportion to the number in their families. 



irA HISTORY OF FLOE ID A 

The location of the settleiiieiit was well chosen, in a very mild 
climate, situated upon a river abounding in fish, turtle, and 
oysters ; the forest abounding in deer, wild turkeys, and other 
game ; large bodies of land, rich and productive when drained, 
bordered by a dry and salulirious seashore and pine forests. 
Much labor was expended in buildings, opening canals, ex- 
cavated in part in solid rock; ditches, and various other im- 
provements, the remains of which still exist. The operations 
of the colony were carried on with much system, and, it is said, 
Willi success. Indigo and sugar-cane were the principal articles 
cultivated, but vines, fig trees, and also other fruit trees were 
])lanted. 

The arrival of the English at Pensacola with a large numbei' 
of troops to gai'rison the place gave a consideraljle impulse to 
the growth of the town, and, being now made the capital of the 
colonial government of the province of West Florida, added to 
its im])ortance. Extensive barracks were constructed, the city 
laid out in a formal manner, and the military quarters extended. 
The expenditures of the British government in supporting the 
colony during the last three years of English occupation 
amounted to the large sum of four hundred and five thousand 
])ounds. 

Governor Johnston resigned the position of governor of West 
Florida in ITGfi, and was succeeded by Montacute Brown, the 
lieutenant-governor, who was superseded in 1773 by Gov. Peter 
Chester, who built a new fort, called Fort George, on Gage Hill, 
which was quite an extensive work, and included within its 
precincts the council chamber of the province and the public 
oflices. Governor Grant continued to fill the office of governor 
of East Florida until 1771, and by his wise and judicious ad- 
ministration of public affairs acquired the respect and affection 
of the peo])le as well as the confidence of the home government. 
During this period the colony received a large accession of in- 
habitants of the best class from South Carolina, among whom 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 155 

was Major Moultrie, afterwards licutoiiaiit-governor of the 
])rovinee, and William Drayton, l^]s(}., who became chief-justice. 

Several Englisli iiol)lemen, amon^' whom were Lords (iran- 
ville, Ilillshorough, Egmont, and Hawk, received large grants 
of land upon the condition of settlement and cultivation. Sev- 
eral gentlemen of fortune also received grants upon the same 
conditions, among the most prominent of whom were Eichard 
Oswald and Dennis Kolle. Mr. Oswald established a plantation 
on the Halifax, still designated as Mount Oswald, and Mr. Rolle 
at Rollestown, above Palatka. There were also settlements 
made at Beresford and at Spring Glarden. The cultivation of 
sugar-cane was begun on the Halifax, and under the fostering 
care of the British government would in a few years have be- 
come a very important industry in Florida. 

In 1773 Governor Chester concluded to call a legislative as- 
sembly in West Florida, and issued writs for the election of 
members to that body. The writs fixed the term of assembly- 
men at three years. The people generally ol)jected to a longer 
term than one year, and cast ballots so conditioned. This the 
governor refused to recognize, so, as neither ])arty would yield, 
no assembly was convened. The American Revolution drove 
many loyalists to seek safety in Florida. The larger part went 
to East Florida, but many went to Pensacola. Among these 
was William Panton, Esq., the head of the great trading house 
of Panton, Leslie & Co., which added very largely to the busi- 
ness and jn'osperity of Pensacola. 

The colony established 1)y Dr. Turnl)ull at New Smyrna in 
17G7 remained until 1776. Having put the land in proper con- 
dition for cultivation, they began the cultivation of indigo, 
which then bore a high price in the London market. The net 
value of their first crop reached the sum of three thousand dol- 
lars; but difficulties soon arose between the agents of the pro- 
prietors and the colonists, the latter alleging that the pro- 
})rietors had not complied with their contracts, and that they 



156 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

were restricted in the quantity of provisions allowed them, and 
otherwise treated with great tyranny and injustice. In 1769 
a revolt had taken place among them in consequence of the in- 
fliction of severe punishments upon some of their number. The 
insurrection was put down, and the leaders brought to St. Au- 
gustine for trial. Five of the number were convicted and sen- 
tenced to death, two of wliom were jMrdoned by the governor, 
and a third released upon the condition of his becoming the 
executioner of the remaining two. He at first declined to be- 
come the executioner of his friends, but the condemned men 
generously urged him to accept the condition. The New 
Smyrna colony at its establishment numbered fourteen hun- 
dred ])ersons, but in nine years had l)ecome reduced by deatb to 
al)out six hundred. In the year 177(5 two of their nundjer 
cauie to St. Augustine and placed before Mr. Yonge, the 
attorney-general, a statement of their wrongs and grievances. 
Proceedings were instituted in the civil trilnmals of St. Au- 
gustine which resulted in a decree requiring the indentures to 
he canceled and the colonists released from their engagements 
to the proprietors. Liberal offers were made to induce them to 
remain at New Smyrna as freeholders, continuing the cultiva- 
tion of their lands, but the colonists had suffered so much from 
sickness and trouble that they were unwilling to stay longer. 
The entire number removed to St. Augustine, where they re- 
ceived allotments in tbe northern part of the city, which is oc- 
cupied by their descendants at the present day. Of the char- 
acter of Dr. Turnbull we have but little knowledge, except the 
prejudicial inferences to be derived from this transaction. He 
was a Scotchman, and was undoubtedly strict and exacting 
in business transactions. The colony which he established at 
New Smyrna must have been an almost total loss, as it was 
abandoned before it could have reached the point when it 
would have proved remunerative. The location, althougli 
highly favorable, and reoccupied in part before the Indian 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 157 

war of 1835, has never since been occupied to any great extent 
in plantations, but at some future day will no doubt be the 
center of a large, highly cultivated, and wealthy community. 

Governor Grant retired from office in 1771, and was suc- 
ceeded by Lieutenant-Governor Moultrie, who occupied the 
position until 1774, when Patrick Tonyn came out to assume 
the government of East Florida. Upon his arrival he issued 
a proclamation to the royalists of Georgia, South Carolina, etc., 
inviting them to remove to Florida, and promising them the 
])rotoction and patronage of the government. A considerable 
number availed themselves of his invitation, and settled upon 
i)lantations in the neighborhood of St. Augustine and on the St. 
John's River. 

The transfer of Florida to Great Britain was too recent and 
was too great and favorable a change from its former condition 
to allow the growth of the feeling of disaffection which per- 
vaded the other Xorth American colonies. There were some in 
Florida, however, who were in sympathy with the American 
colonies. 



CHAPTER XXVI 

Florida during the Revoluiioiuiry War — Burning of Hancock and Adams 
in efligy upon the public square in St. Augustine — Leading citizens of^ 
South Carolina sent to St. Augustine as prisoners of war — The Span- 
iards capture Pensacola from the English. 

A.D. 1776-1781 

Upon the news being received at St. Augustine of the adop- 
tion by Congress of the Declaration of Independence the ef- 
figies of John Hancock and John Adams were burned upon the 
public square where the monument to the Constitution now 
stands. A British vessel called the Betsey, commanded by 
Captain Loftliouse, and having on board one hundred and 
eleven l)arrels of powder, was captured off St. Augustine l)ar 
in August, 1775, by a privateer from South Carolina, in plain 
view of the garrison. This capture was very mortifying to the 
English governor, and, in order to avenge the insult, he im- 
mediately ordered a predatory expedition to march against the 
frontier settlements of Georgia, under the command of Colonel 
Brown, wlio afterwards became prominent as a partisan leader. 
Privateers were also fitted out, and a fort erected at the mouth 
of the St. Mary's River for their protection and that of their 
prizes. 

East Florida, with the inauguration of active hostilities be- 
tween Great Britain and her colonies, began to assume more im- 
portance as a rendezvous and base of operations. The gover- 
nor called out the militia in the summer of 177fi to join the 
royal troops in resisting what he called " the perfidious insinu- 
ations " of the neighboring colonies, and repelling their future 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 159 

incursions into the provinco, and to prevent any more infatu- 
ated men from joining tlieir " traitorous ncigliljors." It woidd 
a})pear from this tliat some persons from Florida liad joined the 
Americans. I'resident Gwinnett, of Georgia, issued a procla- 
mation offering protection to the persons and property of those 
wlio would join the American standard in opposition to 
tyranny. 

In addition to the rangers, ^\ho were considered as regularly 
enrolled, there was a volunteer militia organized and officered 
under their own choice. Many loyalists now hegan to arrive 
from Georgia and Carolina, wdio increased the effective strength 
of the province as well as introduced an element of additional 
bitterness towards the rebel colonies. An invasion of Florida 
was now contemplated by the patriots in Georgia, and forces for 
that purpose were directed to assend^le in Burke County, but 
the movement was not carried into eff'ect. The province was at 
the same time threatened by the Indian tribes friendly to the 
American cause. An expedition against Georgia was placed 
under the coinmand of Colonel Fuser, of the Sixtieth Regiment, 
who, with a force of five hundred infantry and several pieces of 
artillery, made an attack on Sunbury, in Georgia, but failed and 
retired to Florida. During the year 1778 nearly seven thou- 
sand loyalists from Carolina and Georgia moved into Florida. 
Governor Houston, of Georgia, in conjunction with General 
Howe, projected an attack upon St. Augustine in the spring of 
1778, but, owing to sickness among the people, disagreements 
of commanders, and deficiency of supplies, the exjiedition was 
not undertaken. To meet the expected attack a force uiider 
command of Colonel Fuser marched from.St. Augustine to the 
St. John's, but proceeded no farther, contenting themselves 
with erecting a fortification at St. John's Bluff. Further alarm 
was created by the sudden death of Captain Skinner, deputy 
superintendent of Indian affairs, an active and energetic officer, 
exercising great influence among the Indian tribes. 



160 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Eeinforcements having been received at St. Augustine, Major 
Provost, who had been promoted to the rank of general, leaving 
the militia to guard the jjrovince, advanced in December, 1778, 
to join in the attack to be made upon Savannah by forces from 
New York. The attack upon the fort at Sunbury and upon 
Savannah by the force under General Provost proved success- 
ful, and this officer's gallant defense of Savannah in 1779, 
against the combined attack of the forces of D'Estaing and 
Lincoln, added very greatly to his reputation. 

After Charleston had fallen into the hands of the British 
forces the general in command at that place, in order to re- 
move from Carolina those whom he supposed to have been the 
principal promoters of the revolutionary cause, in August, 
1780, selected some forty gentlemen of high standing to be 
transferred to St. Augustine, and, at a later period, twenty- 
three more were added to their number, including a few from 
ISTorth Carolina. These gentlemen were taken early in the 
morning from their beds and placed on the transports in viola- 
tion of the parole which had l)een given them. Upon their 
arrival at St. Augustine, upon giving new paroles, they were 
allowed the freedom of the city. General Gadsden refused to 
accept a parole, and bore a close confinement in the fort for 
forty-two weeks. They were subjected to many annoyances, 
cut off from all intelligence of their friends, and were told by 
high authority that the blood of the brave but unfortunate 
Andre would be required at their hands. They remained at St. 
Augustine for nearly a twelvemonth, until 1780, when they 
were sent to Philadelphia to be exchanged. An order was is- 
sued in 1780 by Sir Guy Carleton directing the entire evacua- 
tion of the province of East Florida, but, remonstrances having 
been forwarded, the order was countermanded. 

The letters patent of the king in 1763 had provided for 
colonial assemblies in both East and West Florida, but it was 
not until 1780 that Governor Tonyn called a general assembly 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 161 

in East Florida, wliich assemljled iu Dcccmher, 1780. The 
assembly seems to have confined itself to the enactment of a few 
laws of local im})ortance and the organization of the militia. 
The condition of the province at this period was very pros- 
perous, its agricultural productions were increasing, its com- 
merce was very considerable, and it is hardly to be doubted 
that, had Florida remained a British colony, it would have 
e([ualed any of the seaboard States in population. During the 
year 177U fifty schooners entered the port of St. Augustine, 
coastwise, and several square-rigged vessels in the trade to 
London and Liverpool. 

In 1771 five vessels arrived from London, seven from New 
York, and eleven from Charleston, and there were imported 
one thousand negroes, of whom one hundred and nineteen came 
direct from Africa. Forty thousand pounds of indigo and 
forty thousand l)arrels of naval stores were exported during the 
year 1779. A large trade was also carried on in peltries by 
Panton, Leslie & Co. and other Indian trading houses. The 
Spanish governor of Louisiana, Don Bernado de Galvez, who 
had, in 1779, captured the English post at Baton Eouge, in 
March, 1781, made an investment of Pensacola with a very 
superior force. The place was strongly fortified and held by 
a garrison of one thousand men, under the command of General 
Campbell. The English occupied a strong fort, called Fort 
George, which was bravely defended for a long time against 
the superior force of Galvez. The Spaniards were unable to 
nuike any impression until, by an unlucky accident, a shell 
entered the magazine of Fort George at the moment that it 
was opened to take out ammunition. The explosion carried 
away the principal redoubt, and forced General Campbell to 
capitulate upon honorable terms. The garrison was carried to 
Havana and thence to New York to strengthen the British 
forces there. 

The condition of affairs rendered it out of the question at 
11 



163 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

that time to attempt the recapture of Pensacola or any of the 
other places captured by the 8})anish forces in that quarter, 
and all the military posts remained in the possession of Spain 
until they were formally receded to her shortly afterwards. The 
mortification which the British government experienced in the 
loss of West Florida, Pensacola, Moljile, and Baton Rouge was 
in part compensated by the capture of the Bahama Islands by 
two armed l)rigs, under the command of Colonel Devereux, 
and whicli were fitted out at St. Augustine. At the close 
of the American Eevolution the English government having 
acknowledged the independence of the colonies, assumed that 
the provinces of East and West Florida had become of little 
value to the crown, as all the others had passed from under the 
British flag, and it was proposed to make a recession of these 
provinces, and also of Minorca, for the comparatively insig- 
nificant Bahama Islands. Almost the first intelligence the 
Florida people received of the coming disaster was the promul- 
gation of the treaty on" the 3d of September ceding East and 
West Florida to Spain. The unfortunate inhabitants of Florida 
were placed in a most miserable predicament. Many of them 
had left the adjoining colonies in consequence of their adher- 
ence to the royal cause, and could not return. Their property 
consisted largely of lands and slaves, and they had no place of 
refuge except the unwelcome rocks and barren islets of the 
Bahamas. 

In June, 1781, Governor Zespedez, the new Spanish gover- 
nor, arrived at St. Augustine with a few troops to take possession 
of Florida for the king of Spain. The English government had 
sent to the mouth of the St. Mary's a fleet of transports to re- 
move the inhabitants of East Florida. Some returned to Eng- 
land, some went to Nova Scotia, and others to the Bahamas. 
A large number carried their slaves to Jamaica. Afterwards 
some who had gone to Florida from the adjacent colonies re- 
turned to their old homes, trusting to the generosity of the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 163- 

people to obliterate past differences. Thirteen hnndred and 
seventy-two negroes were carried l)ack to Sonth Carolina. Some 
few English families remained, as also the entire settlement of 
Greeks and ilinorcans who had come up from Dr. Tnrnbull's 
colony at Xew fSmyrna. As they were mostly Roman Catho- 
lics, they were not alTected in any degree by the change of rulers 
except by the declension of the colony under Spanish rule. 



CHAPTER XXVII 

Reoccupation of the Floridas by Sjiain — Transfer to France of all West 
Florida beyond the Perdido — Cession of Louisiana — Patriot invasion 
of Florida with the United States troops in 1813-1813 — General New- 
nan's invasion of Alachua and defeat — General Clinch's destruction 
of the negro fort — General Jackson's capture of Pcnsacola and war 
upon the Seminoles. 

A.D. 17S3-1817 

Upon the reoccupation of Florida l)y the Spaniards in 1781 
but few of its former inhabitants returned. They had 1)ecome 
settled in other lands, and made new homes and occupations. 
The fine estates upon the coast and on the St. John's River left 
by the retiring English proprietors remained unoccupied, a prey 
to that rapid decay which so soon reclaims to native wildncss 
the labor of years. 

Some inducements were held out in the shape of land grants 
to induce settlers, but were accompanied with conditions which 
rendered them undesirable. Eventually the land grants be- 
came the reward of civil or military service. In 1 795 Spain re- 
ceded to France all that portion of West Florida lying west of 
the Perdido River, thus cutting of! from West Florida the most 
valuable and important portion of her territory. The progress 
of the great campaigns in Europe in which Spain was so deeply 
interested left the Floridas with but little care from the home 
government. White, who was for many years the governor of 
Florida, had strong prejudices against the Americans and op- 
posed their settlement in the province. In the mean time 
France, in the year 1803, agreed to cede the territory of Loui- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 165 

siana to the United States for the pecuniary consideration of 
lifteen millions of dollars. Thus, at the end of two hundred 
and thirty years, France withdrew from the last of her posses- 
sions in North America. One by one she had parted with them 
all, and sold for a few millions of dollars an empire in extent. 
Upon the cession of Louisiana, the United States enclosed the 
S]>anish possession within narrow limits. In the year 1811 dif- 
ficulties between the United States and Great Britain began to 
assume a threatening aspect. On the north the Canadian prov- 
inces extended along the entire border, offering every advantage 
for assailing the people on the frontiers. It was suspected that 
a design was on foot to seize Florida, and thus secure to Great 
Britain a frontier along the whole southern border. The mat- 
ter was thought to be of sufficient importance by the President 
to have it brought before Congress, and, in secret session, a 
resolution was passed authorizing the President, in the event 
of an attempt being made by any foreign power (Great Britain) 
to get possession of Florida, to occupy that territory by the 
American forces. The President appointed General IMat- 
thews, of Georgia, and Col. John MeKee commissioners to con- 
fer with the Spanish authorities and endeavor to procure a 
temporary cession of the province to the United States. The 
Spanish government declined to do this ; but a number of peo- 
ple who anticipated the forcible seizure of Florida by the 
United States assembled at St. Mary's, Ga., and organized them- 
selves as Patriots, seeking to establish a republican government 
in Florida. A provisional government was formed and officers 
elected. Gen. J. H. Mcintosh was chosen governor and di- 
rector of Florida, and Colonel Ashley ^as appointed military 
chief. This was, however, never more than a })aper govern- 
ment for a few hours. Fernandina had at this time acquired 
considerable importance as a de])ot of neutral trade. The 
de])th of water on the bar was greater than at any other port, 
and as many as one hundred and fifty square-rigged vessels, 



166 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

it is said, could have been counted at one time in the harbor ; 
])ut its population did not exceed six hundred persons. In 
1813 a small >Si)anish garrison held j^ossession of the place. 
It was deemed important to the United States to secure pos- 
session of Fernandina, and nine American gun-boats, under the 
command of Commodore C^anipljell, had come into the harbor 
under the pretence of protecting American interests. General 
Matthews having determined upon the occupation of Fernan- 
dina, used the Patriot organization as a cover to effect his ])ur- 
pose. The gun-boats were drawn up in line in front of the 
town, with their guns bearing upon the fort. Colonel Ashley 
tlien embarked his Patriots in boats and approached the town 
with a summons demanding its surrender. The commandant, 
Don Jose Lopez, seeing a line of gun-boats with their guns 
turned upon the towu, flyiiig tlie flag of a neutral power, but 
ju'cpared to enforce the demand of the so i-dison I Patriots, had 
no alternative but to haul down the Spanisli flag. Articles of 
cajiitulatiou were dul}^ signed between Don Jose Lopez and J. 
H. Mcintosh, commissioners of the Patriots. The fifth article 
of capitulation provided that the island should, twenty-four 
hours after the surrender, be ceded to the United States. The 
next day the Patriot flag was hauled down, and Lieutenant 
Iiidgeley, of the United States navy, took possession and raised 
ilie United States flag over the fort. This comedy having been 
played. Colonel Ashley, with a force of three hundred Patriots, 
marched near to St. Augustine and encamped. Colonel Smith, 
of the United States army, with a detachment of one hundred 
regulars, here joined the Patriots. Colonel Ashley was deposed 
fromhiscommand,and William Craig,oneof the Patriot judges, 
put in his place. Colonel Estrada, then acting governor of 
East Florida, put some guns on a schooner and shelled the camp 
at Moosa, compelling the Patriot forces to fall back to Pass 
Navarro, where they entrenched themselves, but, finding their 
force insufficient to take St. Auffustine, the Patriot forces fell 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 167 

back to tlie St. John's Kiver, leaving Colonel Smith's command 
at Pass Navarro. 

On the 12th of May a detachment of United States troops, 
mostly invalids, under the command of Lieutenant Williams, 
United States Marine Corps, with a number of wagons from 
Colonel Smith's camp, were attacked by a company of negroes 
sent out from St. Augustine, under command of one Prince, 
who, concealing themselves in Twelve Mile Swamp, poured in 
from a dense thicket a deadly volley upon the United States 
troops. Lieutenant Williams fell, mortally wounded by six 
bullets. Cnptain Fort, of tlie Milledgeville Volunteers, was 
wounded and a non-commissioned officer and six privates were 
killed. The soldiers instantly charged upon the negroes, who 
broke and fled. 

The S])anish minister at W^ashington remonstrated with the 
American government against this violation of treaty obliga- 
tions, and the British minister protested against this invasion 
of neutral territory. The President was much embarrassed, 
but pursued the usual course of those in power, ignored the 
acts of- (ileneral Matthews, declared that he had transcended 
liis instructions, and regretted the mistake. 

General Matthews was relieved, and Governor Mitchell, of 
Georgia, was appointed in his place. Upon receiving intelli- 
gence of the attack upon Lieutenant Williams's detachment of 
United States troops. Governor Mitchell promptly called for re- 
inforcements to enable him to attack St. Augustine. In the 
mean time Governor Kindelan had been sent out to Florida as 
governor, and in June made a formal demand for the with- 
drawal of Colonel Smith's command from the province. The 
President, finding Congress unwilling to enter into hostilities 
with Spain, ordered the withdrjtwal of the United States 
troojis. 

The Indians in the interior, under their chiefs Payne and 
Bowlegs, had begun a predatory warfare upon the settlements, 



1G8 JIISTOIiY OF FLORIDA 

carrying off live stocky bvirning houses, and stealing negroes, 
and were preparing to extend their incursions into Georgia. 
Colonel jSTewnan, inspector-general of Georgia, who had come 
as a volunteer, offered to lead a party against Payne's town in 
Alachua. Organizing a command from the Patriots in Florida 
of one hundred and ten men, he undertook to penetrate to the 
Indian towns and attack two formidable chiefs surrounded hy 
their warriors. 

Crossing the St. John's at Picolata, Newnan arrived on the 
third day at the foot of Lake Pithlachocco, now called New-' 
nan's Lake, a few miles distant from Payne's town, near Mi- 
canopy. They here encountered about one hundred and fifty 
warriors under Payne and Bowlegs. King Payne, mounted on 
a white horse, displayed great gallantry in leading his men 
into action. Newnan's men feigned a retreat and drew the 
Indians out in pursuit, when, suddenly turning on them, they 
killed a large numl^er and mortally wounded King Payne. The 
Indians fled, but returned at night and renewed the attack upon 
Newnan's forces, who had in tlie meanwhile entrenched them- 
selves. The engagement lasted for several hours, but the 
steady valor of the whites forced the Indians finally to retreat, 
carrying off their dead and wounded. Newnan, however, was 
kept besieged for eight days, until, under cover of night, 
he was able to withdraw his men and retreated towards the St. 
John's. The Indians followed in pursuit, but were repulsed, 
and Newnan's force, met by a relieving force, reached Picolata 
in safety. A state of anarchy prevailed, and the Patriots re- 
taliated, plundering and destroying nearly all the outlying 
plantations, for which the United States was eventually held 
responsible to a large amount. The American troojis were not 
finally withdrawn until 1813. Governor Mitchell had been 
superseded as commissioner by General Pinckney. The civil 
war which had been carried on under the sanction of the United 
States troops had prevailed for eighteen months, and had 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 169 

Lrokcn up and disheartened the phmters, who saw the fruits of 
their industry made the prey of lawless invaders, their homes 
rendered insecure, their stock carried off, their slaves scattered, 
their crops and fences destroyed, and all they possessed pil- 
laged and plundered under the immunity and protection af- 
forded hy the flag of the United States. The planters retired 
to St. Augustine and sought shelter under the protection of the 
guns of the fort. Florida was in the condition of a conquered 
province for nearly two years. The war of 1812 between the 
United States and Great Britain to some extent involved Flor- 
ida. In Augusts 1814, a British fleet entered the harbor of 
Pensacola and landed troops, which were placed in garrison in 
Forts St. Michel and Barpancas with the assent of Governor 
Manriquez. The British flag was raised over the forts, and the 
Indians of the region taken under the British protection and 
incited to carry on hostilities against the United States, being 
furnished with arms and ammunition and promised liberal 
bounties. General Jackson was directed by the United States 
government to counteract these movements, and, having raised 
a body of troops, mainly in Tennessee, marched against Pensa- 
cola. A flag which he sent forward to open communication 
with the S])anish governor was fired upon, and he immedi- 
ately determined to storm tlie town. Marcliing his troops to the 
eastward of the city, he pushed forward his column for a direct 
assault. The town was protected by Fort St. Michel, several 
batteries, and by some vessels of war in the harljor. The ad- 
vance of General Jackson was rapid, and his troops soon entered 
the streets of the city. A Spanish battery of two guns, which 
had been placed so as to sweep the street with grape and can- 
ister, was stormed and captured by Major Laval. The town 
soon yielded, and Fort St. Michel was abandoned by the British 
troo]>s. The fort at Barrancas was blown up by Colonel 
Nicliols, llie English commander, who, with tlie garrison aiid 
Indian allies, went out to sea and erected a new fort on the 



170 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

A])])alachicola Eiver. After holding the town two clays, Gen- 
eral Jackson withdrew his forces and proceeded to New Orleans. 

Colonel Nichols, having been driven out of Pensacola, de- 
voted his attention to organizing a negro and Indian rendezvous 
on the Appalachicola Eiver, as a place of refuge for runaway 
negroes, who, in connection with the Indians, might operate 
against the American settlements. 

Selecting a suitable location, he superintended the ])uilding 
of a strong fortification upon a high bluff, well protected by a 
deep morass in the rear. A garrison of three hundred British 
troops was placed in the fort, and it was made a central rendez- 
vous for the Creeks and Bluestick tribes. During the following 
year a large nural)er of runaway negroes congregated and settled 
in the region along tlie banksof the Appalachicola for somefifty 
miles, l:)idding defiance to both Spanish and Americans. After 
the close of the war with Great Britain \\\q, British garrison was 
witlulrawn, and the fort was left in the hands of the runaway 
negroes. It was armed with nine guns, and the negroes were 
well su))])]icd with small-arms and ammunition. Thus situated, 
it commanded the navigation of the A])])alachieola and Flint 
Jvivers. Col. Duncan L. Clinch was stationed at Camp Craw- 
ford, on the Appalacliicola River, some distance above the negro 
fort. 

The negroes having attacked and killed a midshipman and 
four men belonging to a naval vessel down tlie river, (*olonel 
Clinch, with the regulars and two considerable bodies of 
friendly Indians, determined to attack and destroy the fort. 
Bringing up two gun-boats from below, he established a battery 
opposite the fort and invested it in the rear. A shot from one 
of the gun-boats soon entered the magazine and blew up the 
fort, destroying nearly the whole of the garrison and the people 
who were within the fort. A large amount of property was cap- 
tured, and one hundred and sixty barrels of ]wwdernvere saved 
from an uninjured magazine. The negro commander and the 



ITISTORY OF FLORIDA 171 

outlawed Choeiaw cliiel' were condeniiied iu deatli l)y a council 
of the friendly Indians for the murder of the midshipina]! and 
seamen, and were immediately executed. 

The runaway Spanish negroes were turned over to tlie Span- 
ish authorities, and the American negroes delivered to Colonel 
Clinch, to he restored to their owners. A hody of Seminoles 
had started to assist the negro fort, but turned back when they 
learned of its capture. 

Instigated by the English emissaries, Nichols and Woodbine, 
the Seminoles, with scattered bands from other tribes, con- 
tinued to annoy tlie frontier settlements. In January, 1818, 
General Jackson nuide a treaty with the Creeks, and engaged 
them to join him in an attack upon the Seminoles of Florida. 
With a force of five hundred regulars and one thousand militia 
and nearly two thousand Indians, he started upon his expedi- 
tion, and, marching rapidly upon the Miceosukee towns, he de- 
stroyed them, aud also the Fowl towns, meeting with but little 
resistance. lie then marched upon Fort St. Mark's, which was 
strongly fortified and had twenty guns mounted upon its ram- 
parts. The fort surrendered without resistance, and Prophet 
Francis and another Indian chief were made prisoners and im- 
mediately hanged. At Miceosukee General Jackson found three 
hundred scalps of men, women, and children, most of them 
freshly taken. 

From St. ]\Iark\s General Jackson marched to the Suwanee 
Itiver, near Old Town, where he dispersed a large number of 
Indians and took many prisoners, among them two Englishmen, 
Arbuthnot and Ambrister, who were accused of being the chief 
agents in supplying the Indians with arms and ammunition 
and directing their operations against the whites. They were 
condemned by a court-martial, one to be shot and the other 
hanged, and the sentence was promptly executed. Learning 
that the Spanish governor at Pensacola was furnishing arms to 
the hostile Indians, General Jackson marched against that 



170 



72 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

place, which at once cai)itiilated, the governor and most of the 
troops having retired to the fort at Barrancas. This was in- 
vested, and, after a few hours' cannonade, was surrenderee!. 
General Jackson estahlished a provisional government for West 
Florida, making Colonel King civil and military governor, and 
Captain Gadsden collector of the port. This provisional gov- 
ernment lasted ahout fourteen months, Pensacola being re- 
stored to the Spanish authorities in September, 1819. A treaty 
of peace was negotiated between Spain and the United States 
in February, 1819, ceding the Floridas to the United States. A 
party of adventurers, called Venezuelan Patriots, took posses- 
sion of Fernandina in 1818 and held high carnival there for 
several months until driven out. 

The treaty for the cession of Florida, in consideration of the 
payment of five million dollars, was ratified on the 19th of Feb- 
ruary, 1831. The change of flags took place at St. Augustine 
the 16th of July, 1821, and at Pensacola on July the 21st, 1821. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 

Florida 1)CComcs a Territory of the United States — Civil organization — 
Condition of the Indians — Treaty of Fort Moultrie — Treaty of Payne's 
Landing — Collision Ijetween the races — Story of Dade's massacre, and 
beginning of the Florida Seminole war. 

A.D. 1821-1836 

UrON'the change of flags, the civil administration of affairs 
in Florida devolved upon the military authorities until the pas- 
sage of an act of Congress on March the Sd, 1822, establishing 
a territorial government which was to be administered by a 
governor to be appointed by the President, and who was author- 
ized to ap})oint all local officers ; a legislative council of thir- 
teen to be appointed annually by the President, and two su- 
})erior courts. 

General Jackson was the military governor until William P. 
Duval, of Kentucky, was appointed governor. The first legis- 
lative council was held at Pensacola in June, 1833 ; and West 
Florida was divided into two counties, Escambia and Jackson, 
and East Florida into the two counties of St. John's and Duval. 
Gen. Joseph M. Hernandez was chosen as the first delegate in 
Congress from Florida, and was succeeded by Col. Joseph M. 
White, who was in Congress many years. He was succeeded by 
Charles Downing, who was a delegate until IS-tl, when David 
Levy (Yulee) was elected, and remained until the admission of 
the State to the Union. The second session was held at St. 
Augustine in June, 1823. W. H. Simmons and J. L. Williams 
were appointed commissioners to select the location for the seat 
of government, which they chose near the old fields of the Tal- 
lahassees, in the center of the Fowl towns. Their choice was 



174 Ills TORY OF FLORIDA 

ai^proved, and the town surveyed in 1824:. The capitol l)uikling 
was begun in 183 i, but was not completed for many years. 
The first house was erected in TaHahassee in 182-1. The set- 
tlement of the country would have progressed rapidly but for 
the occupation of nearly the whole of the interior by the In- 
dians. The Indians had remained for so long a time in undis- 
puted possession of the country, that they had never realized 
that any authority could be exercised but their own. The ]\Iic- 
cosukees were regarded as the original occupants of the country, 
and the Seminoles were, as their name indicated, runaways from 
the Creeks living along the Appalachicola Kiver. A consider- 
able number of them had come into Florida in 1750,undertheir 
chief, Secoffee, who left two sons, head chiefs, Payne and Bow- 
legs. The government appointed Col. Gad Humphreys as 
Indian agent, who established his agency at Fort King. 

The settlers demanded that the Indians should be restricted 
to narrower limits. A council was held by Colonel Humphreys 
with the chiefs at Fort Moultrie in 1823, and a treaty negotiated 
by which the Indians agreed to remove below a line about 
twenty miles south of Micano])y. The settlers were still not 
satisfied, and urged their entire removal to the west of the 
Mississippi. At a talk with the chiefs it was proposed that a 
deputation should go and examine a location in the West. 
Colonel Humphreys having been removed in 1830, Major John 
Phagan was appointed agent. The chiefs were assembled at 
Payne's Landing, and a treaty made by which certain chiefs, 
accompanied by the agent, were to go to Arkansas to select a 
location, and, if satisfied, were to remove there, and fifteen 
thousand four hundred dollars was to be paid them, witli an 
annuity of three thousand per annum for ten years, and they 
w^ere all to remove in 1834 and 1835. The chiefs went to 
Arkansas and made the examination, and expressed themselves 
satisfied with the location, l)ut there were many of the younger 
Indians unwillini;' to mo. A feelinu' of dissatisfaction was dis- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 175. 

seiiunatcd, and some of those who had signed the treaty in 
deference to popuhir clamor, disowned their acts. The treaty 
and an additiojial treaty were ratified by the United States 
Senate, and a proclamation was issued by President Jackson on 
April 12, 1834. Governor Duval was succeeded in 1834 by 
John W. Eatoii, wlio held the olhce only one year, when 
liichard K. C*all was appointed in 1835, and remained in office 
until 183!), when Eobert I^aymond Reid was appointed, and, 
Tipon his death in 1841, Eichard K. Call was again appointed, 
and held the office until 1844, when he was succeeded by Gov. 
John Branch, ex-Secretary of the Navy. 

Measures were at once taken to effect the removal of the In- ' 
dians. Gen. Wiley Thomj^son was appointed to succeed j\Iajor 
IMiagan as Indian agent, and Gen. Duncan L. Clinch was placed 
in command of the United States forces in Florida. The chiefs 
now a|)peared to be generally opposed to emigration. Charley 
Emathla, alone of all the chiefs, took decided ground in favor of 
going. General Thompson reported in October, 1834, to the 
Secretary of War that the Indians were buying powder in con- 
siderable c{uantities, and he was satisfied that they were being 
tampered with by designing and unprincipled whites. It soon 
became evident that the Indians had determined not to emi- 
grate. Ten companies of troops were placed at the disposal of 
General Clinch, and he was directed to explain to the Indians 
the determination of the government to insist upon their re- 
moval. On the 6th of April, 1835, a council was held at the 
Indian agency ])etween Colonel Clinch, General Thompson, and 
a large number of influential chiefs. The chiefs had previously 
agreed among themselves to refuse to emigrate. General 
Clinch told them of his instructions to use force to make them 
go. Eight of the chiefs came forward and agreed to emigrate, 
but five refused. The time was extended until the 1st of Janu- 
ary, 1836. They continued to purchase powder until the agent 
refused to allow them to purchase any more. Osceola, after- 



176 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

wards so conspicuous a character, Ijecamo indignant, and car- 
ried his disrespect to General Thompson so far that he was ar- 
rested and confined in irons for several days, until he professed 
to Ije penitent, and, on the solicitation of other chiefs, he was 
released and expressed a willingness to emigrate. In October 
Major Llewllyn Williams discovered a party of Indians near 
Kanapaha Pond butchering a beef. A% the Indians were a 
long distance out of their boundary, the whites disarmed them 
and Hogged some of them. Two Indian hunters coming up, 
fired on Williams's party, and in the skirmish which ensued two 
Indians were killed and one of the whites mortally wounded. 
About the same time the express rider from Tampa to Fort 
King was killed by the Indians. Charley Emathla had begun 
his preparations for emigrating, and had gathered his cattle for 
appraisement and sale, when he was met by Osceola with a band 
of Miccosukees, shot down and killed. General Clinch asked 
for additional troops, and fourteen companies were directed to 
report to Inni from various posts. The whole nuniTber of In- 
dians in Florida, including women and cliildren and negroes liv- 
ing with them, was estimated not to exceed two thousand, of 
whom perhaps five hundred were warriors — a serious under- 
estimate, as it afterwards turned out, and which led to most in- 
adequate preparations for their sul)jugation. 

Osceola was cunning and vindictive, and laid his plans to 
avenge himself upon General Tbompson. Gathering a band of 
twenty of his followers, they concealed themselves near Fort 
King, awaiting their opportunity. On the afternoon of the 
28th of December, 1835, General Thompson walked out after 
dinner in company with Lieut. Constantine Smith. The day 
being pleasant, they strolled as far as the military sutlers, some 
distance from the fort, when, unsuspicious of danger, at a given 
signal they were fired upon hj the whole number of Indians in 
ambush. General Thompson and the lieutenant fell, pierced by 
many balls. Proceeding to the sutler's store, they killed the 




13 



178 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

inmates, scalped them, and set tire to tlie building. There were 
only forty-six men in the fort, who, supposing tlie Indian force 
to be a large one, deemed it imprudent to attack them. Osceola 
having glutted his revenge upon General Thompson and Mr. 
Eogers, the sutler, immediately left. Major Francis L. Dade, of 
the Fourth Infantry, had been ordered from Key West to Fort 
Brooke, at Tampa, and arrived there on December 21st with 
Company A of his regiment, nuiul)ei-ing thirty-nine men. To 
this force was joined C'a])tain Gardiner's Company C, Third 
Artillery, and Comjjany B, Third Artillery, fifty men in each. 
This force was directed to proceed to Fort King to strengthen 
that post. The distance was almost one hundred and thirty 
miles, and the route lay through the Indian country.' No one 
connected with the expedition being acquainted with the route, 
Major Dade secured the services of a negro slave named Lewis, 
belonging to a sutler of the name of Antonio Pacheco, but who 
had formerly belonged to the Fatio family on the St. John's 
Kiver. 

This guide, it is said, informed the Indians of the date of 
dei)arture and the route, with the view of affording them a 
favorable opportunity for attack. The place of rendezvous of 
the Indiaiis was the big Walioo Swamp. The troops under 
Major Dade's command began their march from Tampa on the 
24th of December. The officers, besides Major Dade, were 
Captain Gardiner, Second Lieut. W. E. Basinge?, Second Lieut. 
E. Henderson, Second Artillery ; Capt. U. S. Fraser, Second 
Lieut. E. E. Mudge, Second Lieut. J. L. Eeais, Third Artillery ; 
Asst. Surg. J. S. Gatlin, and one hundred privates. They car- 
ried with them one six-pounder field-piece and one light wagon 
with ten days' rations. On reaching the Hillsboro Eiver, they 
were detained some time in consequence of the bridge having 
been burned by the Indians. On the 37th they reached the 
Withlacoochee and encam])ed. On the morning of the 28th 
they continued their march through an open pine country, in 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 179 

apparent socurit}^ and totally unsuspicious of danger. Their 
road was skirted, however, by low palmetto bushes, which af- 
forded a covert for the Indians, who were concealed on the west 
side of the I'oad, near a pond. The troops were marching along 
in o})en order and extended for a considerable distance. The 
Inch'ans, concealed in the palmettoes and behind trees, were to 
await the signal of attack to be given by Micanopy, when each 
sliould select his ol)ject. They Avere most of them within a 
distance of thirty or forty yards of the road, and their fire could 
hai'dly fail to be destructive. Nearly half the command fell at 
tlu' fii'st discharge from the Indian rifles, which, proceeding 
from an unseen foe, gave no opportunity for avoiding or re- 
turning it. Those who escaped the first discharge took shelter 
Ijehind trees, and Lieutenant Basinger poured in five or six 
rounds of canister from his six-pounder, which checked them 
for a time, and they retreated over a small ridge. Captain 
Fraser and Majo;- Dade fell among the first. Lieutenant Mudge 
was mortally wounded, and Lieutenant Reals had both arms 
broken ; they were Ijound iip, and he reclined against some logs 
until he was killed later on. Lieutenant Henderson had his 
left arm broken, but continued to load and fire his piece until 
later on in the second attack, when he too was killed. Captain 
Gardiner, Lieutenant Basinger, and Dr. Gatlin were the only 
officers who escaped uninjured by the first volley. On the re- 
treat of the Indians Captain Gardiner commenced the erection 
of a triangular Ijreastwork of pine trees. In about three- 
quarters of an hour the Indians renewed the attack and com- 
menced a cross-fire on the breastworks with deadly execution. 
Lieutenant Basinger continued to fire the six-pounder until all 
the men who served the piece were shot down. Captain Gardi- 
ner at length fell. Dr. Gatlin, with two double-barreled guns, 
continued to load and fire until killed late in the action, and 
Liei;tenant Basinger was wounded. About two o'clock the last 
man fell, and the Indians then rushed into the breastwork, 



180 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

headed Ijy a heavily painted savage^ who^ believing that all were 
dead, made a speech to the Indians. They then stripped off the 
accoutennents of the soldiers and took their arms. Soon after 
the Indians had left, about fifty mounted negroes came up and 
at once commenced a horrible butchery. If any poor fellow 
showed signs of life, the negroes stabbed and tomahawked him. 
Lieutenant Basinger, being still alive, started up and begged 
the wretches to spare his life. Mocking his prayers, they man- 
gled him with their hatchets until he was relieved by death. 
After stripping the dead, they shot the oxen and burned the 
gun carriage. The number of Indians engaged was, according 
to the report of Alligator, one hundred and eighty warriors. 
Osceola and his party did not return in time to participate in 
the slaughter. Shortly after the negroes left, a soldier named 
AVilson crawled out, and, discovering that Eawson Clark was 
alive, proposed that they should try to get back to Tampa. As 
Wilson stepped over the breastwork an Indian shot him dead. 
Clark again lay down, and at night, with De Coney, another 
wounded man, started for Tampa. The next day they met an 
Indian, who pursued Coney and shot him, while Clark con- 
cealed himself in a scrub and escaped to Tampa. A soldier 
named Thomas bribed an Indian and was allowed to escape. 
Lewis, the guide, has since claimed that he was faithful, and 
was captured by the Indians and went to /Arkansas with them 
eventually. 

This massacre astounded the country. No such instance 
had ever occurred — a body of disciplined troops, in the open day 
with a field-piece and with abundant ammunition, being totally 
exterminated by a body of half-naked savages. Upon learning 
of the killing of Charley Emathla, General Clinch had called for 
volunteers. By the 15th of December several volunteer com- 
panies from Nassau and Duval Counties, with five hundred men 
from middle Florida, under General Call, had Joined General 
Clinch at Fort Drane. Colonel Fanning, with three companies 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 181 

of artillery from Fort King, also had joined him. General 
Clinch advanced to the Withlacoochee, where the Indians 
awaited him in force. Having crossed over only two hundred 
and twenty of his men, he was attacked with great impetuosity 
by about two hundred and fifty Indians, who were fresh from 
the massacre of Dade's command. The Indians were well pro- 
tected, l)ut, being charged the third time by the troops, were 
routed and fled. Four soldiers were killed in the engagement 
and forty wounded. The settlements in the interior were all 
l)rokon up, and the settlers fled to the protection of the towns 
aud the military posts. Sixteen plantations, each employing 
from one to two hundred slaves, were abandoned between New 
Smyrna and Matanzas. On the 17th of January, 1836, Major 
Putnam went to Tomoka in command of two companies of vol- 
unteers. Tliey camped at Dunlawton, and were attacked by a 
superior force of Indians under King Philip, and were com- 
pelled to retreat. Two of Major Putnam's force were killed 
and seventeen wounded. The public mind was aroused, and 
General C^Iinch was autliorized to call for and accept troops 
from the adjoining States. Gen. E. P. Gaines was in command 
at New Orleans, and, upon receiving intelligence of the Dade 
massacre, embarked with a force of eleven hundred men, com- 
prising six companies of the Fourth Infantry and a Louisiana 
regiment under Col. Persifer Smith. They reached Tampa on 
the 10th, and three days afterwards marched to Fort King, car- 
rying only ten days' rations. When he arrived at Fort King he 
found only one company of troops and no surplus provisions. 
General Clinch was at Fort Drane, equally unprovided with 
provisions. General Gaines decided to return to Tampa, and 
took a more westerly route. The Indians disputed his crossing 
the Withlacoochee, and in the engagement Lieutenant Izard 
was killed. General Gaines sent an express to ask General 
Clinch, at Fort Drane, to come to his relief, which he was unable 
to do, having been relieved of his command by General Scott 



182 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

and liaving no provisions. General (iaines prepared rafts to 
cross tlie river, wlien lie was attacked by the Indians I'rcni all 
sides, and three ofticers and thirty of his men were killed. In 
response to a second call for aid, General Clinch gathered some 
cattle, and, taking stores from his own plantation, went to Gen- 
eral Gaines's relief. On his arrival General Gaines turned over 
tlie command to General Clinch^ who withdrew the force to 
Fort Drane. 



CHAPTER XXIX 

Continuation of the Indian war under Generals Scott, Jesup, and Taylor 
— Battle of Withla('oocliee — Okeechobee — General Macomb's failure 
— Killing of Dr. Perriue on Indian Key. 

A.D. 1836-184-0 

• 

Genekal WixriELD Scott how assumed command in Flor- 
ida, and planned a campaign on paper which he felt satisfied 
would close the war in tliree months. His plan was to form 
-three wings, which would move simultaneously from Volusia, 
on the St. John's Eiver ; Fort Drane, near Orange Lake, about 
the center of the peninsula, and Tampa, thus inclosing the 
whole Indian force supposed to l)e about the forks of the With- 
lacoochee. General Scott's combinations were good only on 
paper. The campaign was a failure. Tlie wings had marched 
and counternuirched l^etween Fort Drane and Tampa, but, 
with the exception of a few skirmishes, nothing was accom- 
plished, and when summer came the regulars went into sum- 
mer quarters and the volunteers went home. Colonel Clinch, 
disgusted with the state of affairs, resigned and retired to his 
plantation near St. Mary's, Ga. 

About the middle of March Major McLemore had been or- 
dered to the Suwanee Eiver, to procure corn for the troops. He 
]n"()cured the corn and erected a small blockhouse about fifteen 
miles from the mouth of the Withlacoochee, and left Captain 
Halliman with a small force to defend it. General Scott seems 
to have forgotten this party, and they were left to themselves. 
They were repeatedly attacked by the Indians in large numbers, 
but galhuitly held the fort during the siege. Captain Halliman 



184 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

was sliot, and the roof of the l)lockhouse hurned off. They 
finally succeeded in sending down the river three men in a 
canoe, who reported their situation, and a force was sent to re- 
lieve them. They had subsisted on corn alone for twenty- 
eight days. The Indians scattered in small bands and overran 
the country, killing mail carriers and express riders, and mur- 
dering families. In July they attacked the post of Micanopy 
with a force of upward of two hundred warriors, but were re- 
])ulsed by Major Heileman, ^ho died shortly afterwards from 
the effects of over-exertion. In August a sharp skirmish oc- 
curred at Fort Drane between a force of one hundred and ten 
men under Major Pierce and three hundred Indians led by 
Arpoika. On May 1st Judge Randall's plantation, east of Tal- 
lahassee, was attacked, and the negroes carried off, and on the 
Sth of May hostile Indians appeared near St. Mark's. Fort 
King was abandoned about the last of May; Fort Drane was 
abandoned in July, proving very unhealthy. A wagon train 
carrying stores from that post was attacked by Indians near 
Micanopy, and was only saved by prompt reinforcements. All 
the settlements east of the St. John's and south of Picolata had 
been destroyed, and all south of Black Creek and" JSTewnansvillc 
had been broken ui?. In July the Indians attacked the planta- 
tions of Colonel Hallowes and others on the east bank of the 
St. John's, north of Six Mile Creek, and burned the buildings, 
as they did also the Travers plantation, at the mouth of Black 
Creek. In September the Johns family, seventeen miles west 
of JacTvsonville, was attacked. Mr. Johns was killed, Mrs. Johns 
shot and scalped, and the house burned. Mrs. Johns, however, 
eventually escaped and recovered. A little later a large force 
of Indians approached Newnansville. Colonel AVarren went 
out to meet them with a force of one hundred and fifty 
men and a howitzer. After two hours' fighting the Indians 
retreated. 

The command of the forces in Florida now devolved upon 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 185 

Gen. E. Iv. Call, of Florida. General Armstrong, with a com- 
mand of twelve hundred Tennessee volunteers, who had been 
operating in the Creek country, was ordered to report for duty 
to General Call. With these troops, one hundred and forty 
Florida militia, and one himdred and sixty regulars. General 
Call began in October an offensive movement against the In- 
dians, but, l)eing prevc^nted by high water from crossing the 
Withlacoochee, fell back upon Fort Drane for sup])lies. In No- 
vember, reinforced by some regulars and a regiment of Creek 
volunteers, General Call crossed the AVithlacoochee and broke 
up an Indian encampment. 

On the 18th five hundred Tennesseeans attacked a consid- 
erable body of Indians strongly ])osted in a hammock. After 
two hours' hard fighting the Indians fled, leaving twenty-five 
d(^ad on the field. On the 20th Lieutenant-Colonel Pierce 
joined General Call with a detachment of regulars. The In- 
dians being re])orted in large numbers in Wahoo Swamp, an at- 
tack was made on them, and the engagement lasted several 
hoiirs ; but it was impracticable to dislodge them, and General 
Call again fell back to Fort Drane for supplies. In Octol)er 
Ceneral Jesup reached Tampa, and in the latter part of Novem- 
ber joined General Call at Volusia with four hundred men, re- 
lieving General Call of the command. 

The result of the year's campaign was well calculated to en- 
courage the Indians. They had driven not only the citizens 
but nearly all the troops out of the peninsula, and held their 
ground in all qiiarters. Gen. Thomas Jesup, upon his assign- 
ment to command in Florida, proposed to act vigorously and 
continuously. Eight thousand troops were placed at his disj^osal. 
The official reports had hitherto based the want of successful 
pursuit on the want of supplies. General Jesup moved with 
mounted troops, both officers and men carrying their provisions 
in haversacks. The stronghold of the Indians was in the 
neighborhood of the Withlacoochee, which thev had hitherto 



186 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

siiccessfully held. Colonol Foster moved up to the west side 
of tlie Witlikcoochee, from Tampa. General Jesiip penetrated 
the country between the forks of the river and the Wahoo 
Swamp, whereupon the Indians abandoned their fastnesses and 
moved in the direction of the Everglades, avoiding any en- 
counter with the troops. A strong post was established on the 
Withlacoochee, called Fort Dade, as a depot and post of obser- 
vation. General Jesup organized several detachments for the 
pursuit of the Indians. Colonel Canfield attacked Osarchee 
near Ahapopka Lake, killing the chief and his son, but the main 
l)ody escaped. Numerous herds of cattle were found, and a 
Ijody of Indians was encountered on Hatchee-Lustee Creek and 
dispersed, their baggage and a number of their women and chil- 
dren being captured. Several hundred head of the Indians' 
cattle Avere taken on the l)orders of the Tohopekaliga Lake. 
Abraham had a conference with General Jesup, and returned to 
the nation to advise negotiations. On the 3d of February, 
1837, Al)raham returned with Jumper, Alligator, and Hapa- 
tophe. They expressed a desire to treat for peace, and agreed 
to meet General Jesup at Fort Dade with other chiefs on the 6th 
of March, and that in the mean time all hostilities should cease. 
With this understanding General Jesup ceased pursuit and re- 
turned to Fort Dade. 

A military post had been established at Fort Mellon, on the 
west side of Lake Monroe, in December, 1836, by Colonel Fan- 
ning. The post was occupied by two companies of artillery, 
four companies of dragoons, and some Creek Indians. The In- 
dian spies had reported the force at the post to be small. King 
Philip and his son, Coacoochee, made an attack upon the post 
with four hundred Seminoles on the 8th of February, 1837. 
The Indians fought with great steadiness for three hours, un- 
aware that the post had just been reinforced. Captain Mellon 
was killed; Lieutenant McLaughlin and fourteen others were 
wounded. The Indian loss was twenty-five. 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 187 

The Indians liad, since the arrival of General Jesnp, en- 
countered several defeats, and were being driven from their 
fields and homes by a superior force. The season for planting 
was passing, and they had no assurance of being able to obtain 
provisions from any quarter during the coming season. From 
convictions of necessity on the part of some and policy on the 
part of others, it was agreed that they would comply with their 
agreement to meet Colonel Jesup. On the 6tli of March they 
assembled in large numbers at Fort Dade and agreed to cease 
hostilities, withdraw south of Hillsboro Eiver, and prepare to 
emigrate to the West. General Jesup agreed to protect them 
and their negro allies, and that their cattle and ponies should 
be paid for. A rendezvous was appointed near Tampa. In May 
a considerable number had come in, and the transports were 
-ready to receive them. On the 20th of June Coacoochee, with 
two hundred Miccosukees, came to the camp and induced the 
seven hundred who had gathered there to leave en masse for the 
Everglades. Tlie war had been supposed to be at an end. Ar- 
rangements had ])een made for the withdrawing of the troops, 
and the settlers were preparing to return to their homes. 
Among the reasons assigned for the withdrawing of the In- 
dians was the fear of sickness, measles prevailing in the camp, 
l)ut a still more probable cause was the fear on the part of the 
Indian negroes, who were all runaways, that they would not be 
allowed to go to Arkansas with the Indians, but would be re- 
stored to their masters. 

When it was known that the Indians had fled from Tampa 
great consternation prevailed. The planters abandoned the 
crops they had planted and sought safety at the military posts. 
In June the Indians killed Captain Walton, the keeper of the 
lightshi]) on Carysfort reef, and one of his men. About the same 
time they killed Captain Gilliland, near Ichatuckny Springs. 
General Jesup immediately called for volunteers from the ad- 
joining States and Tennessee. He had, during the previous 



188 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

winter and spring, driven the Indians south of Lake Monroe 
and Tampa Bay, killed thirty negroes and Indians, and cap- 
tured five hundred prisoners. 

In September, 1837, General Hernandez made prisoners of 
Coacoochee, King Philip, and" two camps of Indians and ne- 
groes, about two hundred in number, who came in a friendly 
manner at Pellicier Creek. On the 1st of December, 1837, Gen- 
eral Jesup had under his command about nine thousand men. 
The principal Indian force M^as on the upper St. John's, with 
some roving bands through the peninsula. Gen. P. F. Smith 
was placed on the Gulf coast south of Tampa, Gen. Zachary 
Taylor at Tampa, with orders to establish posts east of that 
point. He moved out from Tampa on the 14th of December with 
a force of eleven hundred men, and proceeded to the neighbor- 
liood of Okeechobee, where he found a large Indian force occu- 
pying a dense hammock, protected in front by a miry, saw-grass 
])ond. Under these great disadvantages of position, the troops 
charged the enemy with great gallantry, and, after a hard- 
fought battle, routed them, but with heavy loss. Colo- 
nel Gentry, of the Missouri Volunteers; Lieutenant-Colonel 
Thompson, Captain VanSwearingen, Lieutenants Brooke and 
Center, and twenty-two privates were killed ; nine officers and 
one hundred and two men were wounded. The Indians num- 
bered about four hundred, and lost eleven killed and nine 
wounded. The troops fell back after this engagement to 
Tampa. General Hernandez moved down to the head of the St. 
John's and Indian Elvers, capturing two hundred and ninety- 
seven prisoners. General Nelson operated along the Suwanee 
River. Colonel Snodgrass held the country between Black Creek 
and the Ochlawaha, and destroyed several Indian villages and 
expelled the Seminoles from that region. Other detachments 
scoured the country in all directions. An ineffectual attempt 
was made, through a deputation of Cherokees, to persuade the 
Indians to surrender and emirate. The chiefs agreed to fulfil 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 189 

their treaty, but they failed to come in for that purpose. This 
failure was attributed to the escape of Coacoochee from Fort 
Marion, at St. Augustine, where he had been confined for some 
time with seventeen of his followers. He squeezed himself 
through a narrow embrasure some twenty-five feet from the 
ground, and, escaping from the fort, went to the Indians and 
opposed their surrender and emigration. By establishing posts 
and depots across the country between Tampa and Lake Mon- 
roe, General Eustis was enabled to penetrate the region on the 
northern margin of the Everglades, and broke up many In- 
dian settlements. General Taylor, in the course of his opera- 
tion, captured and secured four hundred and eighty-four In- 
dians and negroes. During the summer of 1837 General Eustis 
and other officers urged that the Indians be allowed to remain 
within a small territory in the southern part of the peninsula, 
the question of the time of their removal to be left to future 
decision. This the Indians seemed willing to agree to, and a 
considerable number came into camp at Fort Jupiter to await 
the decision of the President. The Secretary of War having 
notified General Jesup of the President's disapproval of their 
remaining, he immediately directed General Twiggs to secure 
all who were at Jupiter. Five hundred and thirteen Indians 
and one hundred and sixty-five negroes were secured, who were 
at once transferred to Tampa Bay. Those captured at Fort 
Peyton with Osceola had been transferred to Fort Moultrie, in 
Charleston harbor. Osceola died at Fort Moultrie, and is buried 
outside of the principal gate, where his grave is inclosed and a 
monument erected. 

IMajor Lauderdale, Lieutenant-Colonel Bankhead, and Colo- 
nel Ilarney operated in and around the Everglades and broke 
up many Indian camps. General Jesup was relieved from the 
command IMay 15, 1837. Within the year and a half that he 
was in command nineteen hundred and seventy-eight Indians 
and negroes surrendered or were captured. The Indian villages 



190 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

were mostly destroyed, tlieir cattle and horses killed or cap- 
tured, and they were no longer able to make a stand against the 
troops. The Indians who had been captured or surrendered were 
now embarked on transports and removed west of Arkansas. 
Twelve hundred and twenty-nine went in the first party and 
three hundred and thirty in the second party. Gen. Zachary 
Taylor succeeded General Jesuj) in command, and in October, 
1838, removed two hundred and twenty Apaches from West 
Florida. The winter camjiaign of 1838—9 was arranged by 
placing different portions of the field under separate com- 
manders. The winter was spent in hunting out from their hid- 
ing places the small Indian bands scattered through the coun- 
try, but with little success, as the Indians easily eluded pursuit. 
During the campaign, however, one hundred and ninety-six 
Indians and negroes were captured or surrendered and were 
sent West. Sjnall bands of Indians still moved through the 
country stealtliily, attacking settlements unexpectedly, moving 
l)y night and committing murder wherever there was an op- 
portunity. General Taylor divided the country into squares, 
Avith each a small blockhouse, in order to scout the country 
thoroughly. In May, 1839, General Maconil) came to Florida 
to make an arrangement with the Seminoles, and a council was 
assemljled. General Macomb agreed that tlie Indians should 
temporarily Ije assigned to the country below Pease Creek and 
Lake Okeechobee, where they were to remain until further 
arrangements were made. They were not to pass out of their 
limits, and no one was to enter their territor3^ On the 18th of 
]\Iay General Macomb issued a general order declaring that 
the war was ended. The settlers again prepared to return to 
their devastated homes, hoping to make a partial crop. The 
month of June was quiet, but early in July the Indians began 
hostilities in all parts of the country. Plantations were at- 
tacked, and the settlers forced to flee for their lives. Express 
and post riders were waylaid and shot down. Colonel Harney 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 191 

liiul gone to Charlotte Harbor to establish a trading post for the 
Indians after they should have retired beyond Pease Creek. 
With a detachment of twenty-five men, the storekeeper and his 
clerk, he was encamped in the open pine barren on the Calosa- 
hatchee, some twenty miles up the river. The Indians had pro- 
fessed to be very friendly, but at daybreak on the 22d of July 
General Harney's camp was attacked by two hundred and fifty 
Indians, and he himself only escaped in his night clothes by 
swimming to a fishing smack. Out of thirty in the camp 
eighteen were killed. Upon receipt of this intelligence Colonel 
Hanson seized forty-six Scndnoles who had come in for pro- 
visions and shipped them to Charleston. There was a body of 
Spanish Indians in the loM-er part of the peninsula who had 
hitherto taken no ])art in the war, but they now Joined the 
Seminoles and attacked various settlements upon the islands, 
murdered wrecked seamen and fishermen. One of the saddest 
and most notable attacks was made at Indian Key upon the 
family of Dr. Perrine, a botanist of distinction, who was devot- 
ing himself to the cultivation of tropical plants. A large crowd 
of Indians landed on the island on the 7th of May, 1840, plun- 
dered and then burned the houses. Mrs. Perrine and her chil- 
dren were saved by concealing themselves in a turtle-crawl 
under the house. Dr. Perrine was killed in the upper part of 
the building, fighting for his life. The family reached a boat 
which the Indians were loading with plunder, and pushed off to 
a vessel in the harbor. Several others escaped to the same 
vessel. 



CHAPTEE XXX 

Continuation of the Florida war — General Wortii appointed to the com- 
mand — Vigorous prosecution of the war — Capture of Coacoochee — 
Surrender of the Indians and close of war. 

A.D. 1S4-0- 184-2 

In the spring of 1840 General Taylor asked to be relieved, 
and in May of the same year General Armistead was assigned 
to the command. Fruitless expeditions marched out and re- 
turned, failing to find the enemy. 

Still the work of surprise and massacre went on by invisible 
l)ands, who struck the blow and vanished. The citizens were 
disheartened, the troops were discouraged', and the Indians 
lurked undiscovered. An attempt at negotiation was again 
made. A Seminole delegation was brought back from those 
who had been sent to the West to influence those in Florida, 
but nothing definite was accomplished. Occasionally some 
Indians came in, professed friendship, said they were tired of 
the war, received subsistence, and then suddenly disappeared. 

On the 28th of December a party started from the military 
post at Micanopy, consisting of Lieutenant Sherwood, Lieu- 
tenant Hopson, a sergeant, and ten privates, with Mrs. Mont- 
gomery, wife of Major Montgomery, to go to Wacahoote, a post 
ten miles distant. Aljout four miles from Micanopy they were 
suddenly fired upon by a large party of Indians, concealed in a 
hammock which skirted the road on the edge of Leclwith Lake. 
Two soldiers were killed at the first fire. Lieutenant Sherwood 
determined to stand his ground, and requested Mrs. Mont- 
gomery to dismount and get into the wagon, where she would 




BILLY BOWLEGS 



13 



194 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

be less exposed. As she was flismonnting she was fatally shot 
through the breast. Lieutenant Hopson escaped, and returned 
to Micanopy for reinforcements. Lieutenant Sherwood and 
his remaining men continued a gallant hand-to-hand fight until 
they were overpowered by the greatly superior force of thirty 
Indians, led by Halleck-Tustenuggee. This tragic event 
aroused the whole country, and a universal demand was made 
tha,t the war be brought to a close. Congress appropriated one 
million of dollars to suppress Indian hostilities, and the War 
Department recalled all instructions for negotiation and di- 
rected the war to be prosecuted without relaxation. There 
were small bands of Indians in all parts of the territory, from 
the Ocklocknee and Okefinokee to the Withlacoochee. An 
attack was made at Fort Russel, west of Palatka, and repulsed 
by Lieutenant Albertis with a small detachment, killing three 
and wounding two of the Indians. Waxehadjo, who had been 
a leader in waylaying express riders, had killed the express rider 
going from Fort Cross to Tampa, and, after torture, had cut off 
his head and placed it on the coals of his camp-fire, when a de- 
tachment of dragoons under Capt. Lloyd Beall came up and 
drove him into a pond, where he was killed. Cosa-Tustenuggee, 
with thirty-two warriors and sixty women and children, soon 
after surrendered and were sent West. Billy Bowlegs, the 
Prophet, and Hospetarkee, Shiver and Shakes, occupied the 
country south of Pease Creek. Colonel Harney, with a detach- 
ment of one hundred men, penetrated the hitherto unknown, 
unexplored country in canoes. Chekika, the Spanish-Indian 
chief, was overtaken and killed. Six of his companions were 
captured, and, in memory of the treacherous attack on Harney 
previously, were hung on the spot, and their bodies left on the 
trees to terrorize the Indians. Thereupon the Indians asked 
for a talk, professed submission, drew sul^sistence and clothing, 
and pretended to be getting ready to emigrate, but in April dis- 
appeared. Major Belknap, stationed at Fort Fanning, on the 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 195 

Suwanee, secured nnd sent West in March Eeho-E-Mathlar, the 
Tallahassee cliief, with sixty of his band. During the summer 
the Indians cunningly ju'ofessed to be anxious for peace, and 
came in in small bands with plausible stories, and obtained sub- 
sistence. The oflficers hoped to secure their surrender, but this 
the Indians skillfully avoided. Nothing resulted, the wliole 
year was wasted, and the war still not ended. In January, 
1841, Col. W. J. Worth, " the gallant Worth," was appointed 
to the command of the Tampa district. lie immediately sent 
for Coacoochee, who was in the neighborhood of Kissimmee, to 
come and have a talk. A few days later Coacoochee visited the 
camp, arrayed in a gorgeous theatrical costume, obtained from 
the wardrolje of a company of actors whom he had attacked a 
few^ months previously, on the Picolata road, six miles from St. 
"Augustine. Several of them were killed, and their theatrical 
wardrobe became a valuable l)ooty to the handsome young chief. 

At this interview with General Worth he agreed to consult 
the other chiefs and return in ten days. On the tenth day he 
returned, regretting that he could not collect his people, but 
wished to meet General iVrmistead at Tampa and have a day 
fixed wdien he would have his people assembled. On March 22d 
he met (Jeneral Armistead at Fort Brooke, when it was agreed 
that he would bring his people to Fort Pierce, on Indian Eiver. 
During April and May he came in, j^rofessing great anxiety to 
emigrate, but that his people were so scattered it was difficult 
to find them. From Coacoochee's demeanor and large requisi- 
tions for whisky and provisions, Major Childs, commanding 
at Fort Pierce, became satisfied that the wily chief was playing 
a game of deception, and advised his seizure. 

A band of Indians on the Ocklocknee Eiver, in middle Flor- 
ida, kept that section in a constant state of alarm, although 
nearly a regiment of troo])s occu])ie(l the vicinity, but were 
never able to get on their track. Another band lurked in and 
around the great Okefinokee Swamj). Halleck-Tustenuggee 



196 • HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

kept in the neighborhood of the Ocklawaha Eiver and the With- 
lacoochee. He endeavored to obtain provisions, and, being re- 
fused, threw oif the mask and left in his trail sixty sticks, repre- 
senting the number of his band, painted with blood. Colonel 
Davenport, commanding at Sarasota, reported an entire failure 
in the attempted negotiations, and that the Indians had all left. 
The close of the season for active operation left matters very 
little better than at the same period in the previous year. Gen- 
eral Armistcad, in May, 1841, asked to be relieved of the com- 
mand in Florida. The result of operations in the previous year 
was the capture of four hundred Indians, of whom only one 
Inmdred and twenty were warriors. A delegation of friendly 
Indians had been brought from Arkansas to induce them to 
emigrate, but accomplished nothing. 

General Worth was now assigned to the chief command, be- 
ing the eighth commander sent out to close the war. No more 
unpromising field for distinction could have been found than 
Florida at this period. As the number of Indians was reduced, 
their tactics were changed. A skulking, predatory warfare in 
small bands was kept up, while their families were left far down 
in the Everglades. From these fastnesses they could sally forth 
vipon long expeditions for murder and rapine. Acquainted 
with coverts to which they might fly in all parts of the country, 
able to support themselves upon the abundant game, they pos- 
sessed an unlimited power of doing mischief. Where they had 
been was easily seen from the bodies of their slain victims and 
the ashes of the destroyed houses, but where they were or where 
they had gone it was difficult to ascertain. General Worth had 
a force of five thousand men at his disposal, and at once or- 
ganized his force in the most effective manner and prepared for 
an unremitting campaign. " Find the enemy, capture or ex- 
terminate," was his simple injunction. In June Major Childs, 
commanding at Fort Pierce, acting under the orders he had re- 
ceived from General Armistead, secured Coacoochee and his 




COACOOCHEE 



198 niSTORY OF FLORIDA 

brother^ and a brother of King Pliilip, with thirteen warriors 
who came into the post. They were immediately sent off to 
Arkansas. General Worth sent an officer and intercepted them 
at New Orleans, qnd had C'oacoochee brought back to Florida. 
A simultaneous movement had l)een made for the purpose of 
breaking uj) any camps which the Indians inight liave formed, 
destroying their cro])s and stores wherever found. Every field 
that could be found was destroyed and every camp l)roken iip. 
These operations were harassing and destructive to the Indians, 
but at a council held in June they determined not to sur- 
render. The detachments engaged in thus scouting were in the 
field twenty-five days, numbering about six hundred, and about 
twenty-five per cent, were sent to the hospitals from the effects 
of heat and exposure. The inhal)itants were invited to return 
to their homes, protection and subsistence being promised them. 
General Worth having been informed that Coacoochee had 
arrived at Tampa, proceeded to that place to have an interview 
with him. On the morning of the 4th of July the interview 
was held on board the transport. General Worth and his staff 
were in full uniform, and Coacoochee and his companions, 
heavily ironed, came and sat on the deck. After compliment- 
ing Coacoochee on his reputation as a warrior. General Worth 
told him that the war must now end, that he could decide upon 
how many days would be necessary to see the Indians in their 
retreats, that he could select three or five of his men to carry his 
message to his people, and that unless his people complied with 
his commands he and his warriors seated with him should be 
hung to the yard-arms of the vessel upon the day appointed, 
with the irons upon their hands and feet. Coacoochee replied 
in a very dignified and impressive manner, and asked to be al- 
lowed to go himself to see his people. This General Worth 
would not consent to, but said he could choose his messengers. 
Coacoochee, after consultation, selected five of his companions 
to bear his message. Forty days were allowed for his band to 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 199 

come in. He gave his messengers forty sticks, one for each 
da}', one larger than the rest with blood upon it, and told them 
when the others were thrown away to say to his people that, 
with the setting sun, Coacoochee hangs like a dog, with none 
Ijut white men to hear his last words. The five messengers 
were relieved of their irons and went upon their embassy. In 
ton days tlie Indians began to come in, and on the last of the 
month all had come. They numbered, in all, two hundred. 
( -oacoochee was greatly relieved ; he put on his finery and told 
liis people the rifle w'as hid and the white and red men were 
friends.' They were soon after sent to Arkansas. Other bands 
came in from time to time, but a considerable number remained 
in and about the Everglades, under Bowlegs, the Prophet, and 
Arpeika (Sam Jones). 

" In October a combined land and naval expedition scoured the 
Everglades. The Indians fled before them, and their huts and 
fields were destroyed. Major Wade, commanding at Fort Lau- 
derdale, captured fifty-five Indians, destroying twenty canoes 
and all their fields and huts. Small parties of Indians still 
lurked in the northern and western part of the territory, and 
along the Gulf coast, above and below the mouth of the 
Suwanee. On December 20, 1841, while most of the men in 
the Mandarin settlement (about twelve miles from Jackson- 
ville) were out on a hunt, a party of seventeen Indians at- 
tacked the settlement, killing two men, two women, and a 
child, but evaded pursuit. Major Belknap secured sixty-seven 
of Bowlegs's and Sam Jones's men near Lake Istokpoga. On 
February 5, 1842, two hundred and thirty Indians were shipped 
to Arkansas, and in April one hundred more. Afterwards 
seventy of Tustenuggee's tribe were taken. 

In February, 1842, General Worth informed the War De- 
partment that, so far as he could learn, only about three hun- 
dred Indians remained, of whom only one hundred and twelve 
were warriors, and advised their being left below Pease Creek, 



200 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

which was assented to by the President in May, 1842, and on 
the l-ith of August General Worth issued a general order an- 
nouncing that hostilities with Indians in Florida had ceased. 
Above three hundred settlers were at once located in the in- 
terior. The war had lasted nearly eight years, and had cost 
the United States about twenty millions of dollars. After- 
wards a momentary alarm was occasioned by an attack made by 
a party of only ten Indians on the settlement at San Pedro, in 
Madison County. Colonel Bailey immediately raised a party 
and went in pursuit, killing two and wounding five of their 
number. When the facts were known the excitement sub- 
sided. On the 4th and r)th of October, 1842, an unprecedented 
tidal wave submerged Cedar Key, destroying the government 
stores, and did injury to other points on the Gulf coast. 

Octiarche and Tiger Tail were shortly afterwards captured 
at Fort Brooke, and Captain Hitchcock captured Pascoffer 
and bis band of fifty-nine men on the Ocklocknee. From 1836 
to 1842 never less than three thousand troops were employed, 
and in 1837 some nine thousand were in the field. Two hun- 
dred and fifteen deaths from battle and disease occurred 
among the officers and twelve hundred and fifteen among the 
privates during the Florida war. 



CHAPTEE XXXI 

Recuperation of Florida— Tlie admission of Florida as a State — Organiza- 
tion of a State government — Grants of lauds to Florida — Charters to 
and construction of railroads. 

A.D. 184-2-1857 

The close of the war did not bring the influx of population 
into Florida which had ])een anticipated. At the change of 
flags in 1821 but a small portion of the Spanish inhabitants 
left the territory, and, although much effort had been made to 
-draw attention to its agricultural and commercial advantages, 
the census of 1830 exhibited as the result of ten years' occupa- 
tion a population of only 34,730. There was a comparatively 
rapid increase from 1830 to 1836, when the Indian war l^roke 
out, as the census of 1810 showed a population of 51,477, not- 
withstanding four years of war. When peace finally came, the 
planters had suffered too greatly and were too impoverished 
to resume work to any extent on their desolated fields. The 
hardships encountered by the volunteers from other States had 
not put tlicm in love with Florida, and, moreover, the virgin 
lands of the West were then thrown open to settlement. A 
movement towards the admission of Florida into the Union 
had originated in 1838, and a convention was held at St. 
Jose])h's on the 3d of December of that year for forming a 
constitution, which concluded its labors on the 11th of Janu- 
ary, 1839. The convention was presided over by the Hon. 
Robert Raymond Reid, and among its members were Walker 
Anderson, Leigh Read, William Marvin, Thomas Baltzell, 
E. C. Cabell, George T. Ward, James D. Westcott, David (Levy) 
Yulee, Leslie A. Thompson, and other gentlemen of distinc- 



202 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

tion. It was by all odds the ablest body of men ever assembled 
in Florida. The constitution then formed compares favorabl}^ 
with those of the other States, and is in many respects su- 
perior to the emendations since made. It was at that time sup- 
posed that the war was al)out to be closed, but the continuance 
of hostilities prevented any effort being then made for admis- 
sion to the Union, and at the close of the war in 1843 some op- 
position was manifested to assuming the expense of the main- 
tenance of a State government. 

In order to promote the settlement of Florida, Congress 
passed the Armed Occupation Act, donating lands in Florida 
in certain districts on condition of actual settlement and culti- 
vation for a term of years. This had the intended effect of in- 
ducing a considerable number of hardy pioneers, with musket 
in hand, to locate on choice lands in advance of previous set- 
tlements. Gov. Eobert Raymond Eeid, territorial governor in 
1841, was succeeded by Gen. R. K. Call, after whom Hon. John 
Branch, Secretary of the Navy under President Jackson, was 
appointed. The question of applying for admission to state- 
hood remained quiescent until 1845. David Levy, better 
known afterwards as Senator David L. Yulee, was then delegate 
in Congress for the Territory of Florida. The new Territory 
of Iowa, west of the Mississippi, desired admission as a State. 

It had been the policy of Congress to maintain, as far as pos- 
sible, an equilibrium of political power in the Senate by admit- 
ting new States, Northern and Southern, together. In pur- 
suance of this policy, it was arranged that Florida and Iowa 
should be admitted at the same time, which was effected by the 
act of March 3, 1845. A supplemental act of the same date 
gave to Florida a grant of eight entire sections of land to estab- 
lish a seat of government, also the sixteenth section in every 
township, or its equivalent, for the support of public schools ; 
and two entire townships, in addition to the townships already 
reserved, for the establishing and maintenance of two semi- 



lUSTORY OF FLORIDA 203 

naries of learning, one to be located east and one west of the 
Suwanee Eiver ; and five hundred thousand acres for internal 
improvements, besides five per cent, of the net proceeds of the 
sale of public lands within the State, to be devoted to the pur- 
poses of education. At the election held under the new con- 
stitution in 1845 William D. Mosely was elected governor. A 
Legislature was elected, which convened at the capitol in Talla- 
hassee on the 23d of June, 1845. At this session James T. 
Archer was chosen by the Legislature as secretary of State, N. 
P. Bemis as comjitroller, Benjamin Byrd as treasurer, and 
Joseph Branch as attorney-general. The salary of the gov- 
ernor was fixed at $1,500 ; secretary of State, $000 ; comp- 
troller, $800 ; treasurer, $800 ; and attorney-general, $500 ; 
members of the Legislature, $3 per day and mileage. David 
Levy had been elected member of Congress. He subsequently 
resigned, and was elected to the United States Senate for the 
long term and James D. Westcott for the short term. In De- 
cember, 1845, Mr. Levy's name was changed to Yulee, being 
his ancestral name. Mr. Westcott had been territorial sec- 
retary under Governor Duval. 

At the presidential election in 1848 electors were chosen on 
the ticket headed by Gen. Zachary Taylor. 

In 1849 an Indian outbreak was made upon settlers on In- 
dian River. It was soon suppressed, however, and but one or 
two lives were lost. 

Thomas Brown, the Whig candidate, became governor in 1850. 

By the census of 1850 the population of Florida was shown 
to have increased to 87,445. This increase was mainly from 
Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, and was largest in mid- 
dle Florida. 

By act of Congress of September 28, 1850, all the swamp and 
overflowed lands belonging to the L^nited States in Florida 
were donated to the State for the purpose of being reclaimed. 
The estimated quantity of such lands was twelve millions of 



204 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

acres, but a much larger amount lias been selected by the lo-. 
eating agents and patented to the State. James E. Broome, 
Democratic candidate, was chosen governor in 1853. The vote 
of the State was cast for Franklin Pierce for President. The 
Alachua grant, which comprised nearly three hundred thousand 
acres in Alachua County, had been sold for partition in 1849, 
and population now began to come into the peninsular por- 
tion, especially in Columbia, Alachua, and Marion Counties. 
The lack of transportation facilities impeded the settlement 
of the interior. Although five hundred thousand acres had 
been given the State to encourage internal improvements, and 
over twelve million acres of swamp and overflowed lands, yet, 
with the exception of twenty miles from Tallahassee to St. 
Mark's, there was not, in 1855, a railroad in the State. A ship 
canal had been discussed and a route surveyed, but nothing done. 
Encouraged by the grant of lands made by Congress, 
projects of internal improvements by the construction of rail- 
ways were set on foot, mainly through the foresight and saga- 
city of Hon. David Yulee. By an act of the Legislature, ap- 
proved 8th of January, 1853, the Florida Eailroad Company 
was incorporated for the construction of a railroad across the 
peninsula of Florida, to commence on some tributary of the 
Atlantic having a sufficient outlet to admit the passage of sea 
steamers, to some port on the Gulf of Mexico, south of the 
Suwanee Eivor. At the same session an act was passed to in- 
corporate the Pensacola and Georgia Eailroad to run from 
Pensacola to the eastern boundary of the State of Georgia. 
No actual work of construction was undertaken under either 
of these charters until after the passage of the act of the Legis- 
lature of January 6, 1855, entitled " An act to encourage a 
liberal system of internal improvements." By the provisions of 
this act the swamp and overflowed lands and the internal im- 
provement lands were to be placed under the control of an in- 
ternal improvement board, which was authorized to guarantee 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 305 

the payment of the interest on the bonds which might be issued 
under its provisions to aid the construction of a line of railway 
from Fernandina to Tampa Bay, with a branch to Cedar Key. 

Shortly afterwards the work began upon the line from Amelia 
Island to Cedar Key, Fernandina being the initial point. A 
company was organized to build a railroad from Jacksonville 
to Lake City, and another to build a road from Tallahassee to 
Lake City, called the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad. Within 
the ensuing four years the railroad was completed from Fer- 
nandina to Cedar Key, and was graded between Waldo and 
Ocala, and the road between Jacksonville and Tallahassee was 
also completed. 

The construction of these roads gave considerable impetus 
to the settlement of Florida. Many planters from South Caro- 
lina and Georgia moved into the State, bringing with them 
large numbers of slaves, and opened up extensive cotton plan- 
tations. The counties of Columbia, Alachua, and Marion 
were found well adapted to the growth of sea-island cotton, 
which had been hitherto mainly })roduced upon the sea islands 
of Georgia and Carolina. 

At the presidential election of 185(i the vote of Florida was 
cast for Mr. Buchanan, Democratic candidate. M. S. Perry, of 
Alachua County, Democratic candidate, was elected governor. 

Senator Yulee was defeated for reelection to the Senate in 
1851 by Stephen R. Mallory. In 1853 he was, however, again 
elected, to succeed James D. Westcott. 

The Indians in the southern part of the State ])ecame trou- 
blesome in 1857, and a partial outbreak occurred. The gover- 
nor called out State troops and suppressed the outbreak, at the 
cost of a few lives. 

The progress of settlement had steadily increased, and the 
census of 1800 showed a handsome inci-ease from 87,475 in 
1850 to 140,424, an increase of nearly seventy-five per cent., of 
which none was by immigration from foreign countries. 



CHAPTEE XXXII 

The secession of Florida — Occupation of the United States forts and 
arsenal — Seizure of the navy yard at Pensacola — Hostilities at Pensa- 
cola — Fernandina, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville taken possession 
of by Union troops. 

A.D. 1857-1861 

Florida participated in the general political struggle which 
prevailed throughout the South during the whole of 1860. In 
the fall election she had cast her vote in favor of John C. 
Breckenridge for the presidency. John Milton, of West Flor- 
ida, was elected governor to succeed Madison S. Perry, whose 
term expired in 1861. George S. Hawkins was elected to Con- 
gress, and a Legislature chosen. The people of Florida share 1 
in the disquietude occasioned by the election to the presidency 
of Mr. Lincoln, which was considered as a triumph of the Anti- 
slavery party, fraught with danger to Southern interests and 
Southern institutions. South Carolina had called a convention 
■with the announced determination to secede from the Union. 
The Legislature of Florida met in regular session on the 26th 
day of November, 1860. Clovernor M. S. Perry, on the same 
day, addressed a message to the two houses, declaring his 
opinion that the election of Lincoln and Hamlin, viewed in 
connection with the circumstances that led to it, made the only 
hope of the Southern States for domestic peace and safety, fu- 
ture respectability and prosperity, dojiendent upon their im- 
mediate secession from the I^nion. A letter from Senator 
Yulec was read announcing that as soon as he should learn of 
the withdrawal of the State from the Union he would leave his 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 207 

seat in the Senate. A bill was at once introduced to provide 
for calling a convention of the people of the State of Florida, 
to be held on the ;5d day of January, 1861. The bill passed 
both houses unanimously, and the election was ordered for 
delegates to the convention. The Legislature then adjourned 
until the Tth of January. 

The convention assenil)led at Tallahassee on the 3d of Jan- 
uary, 1861, and elected John J. McGehee president, and W. H. 
Harris secretary. The convention was opened with prayer l)y 
Bishop Eutledge. On the r)th of January, at a consultation 
of Soutl^ern senators held in Washington, their respective 
States were advised to pass ordinances of secession as soon as 
possible. Senators Yulee and Mallory communicated this res- 
olution to the Florida convention, then in session. A test 
resolution in favor of secession was passed by the convention 
on the 7th of January — sixty-two ayes to five nays. On the 9th 
a resolution that the ordinance should be submitted for ratifi- 
cation by the people was lost — yeas twenty-six, nays forty-one. 
On the loth day of January the ordinance of secession was 
passed, declaring the State of Florida a sovereign and inde- 
pendent nation, and rescinding all ordinances recognizing the 
Union. I^])on the passage of the ordinance of secession the 
vote was sixty-two ayes and seven nays. Messrs. Yulee and 
Mallory formally withdrew from the Senate. George S. Haw- 
kins had previously resigned his seat in the House of Represen- 
tatives. Judge McQueen Mcintosh, judge of the United States 
Court, and the other Federal officers, except at Key West, re- 
signed. Fort Marion, at St. Augustine ; Fort Clinch, at Fer- 
nandina, and the United States arsenal at Chattahoochee were 
taken possession of by the State authorities. South Carolina 
had seceded on the 20th of December, 1860, and conventions 
were called in the otlier States ; but it was a very bold step for 
Florida, weak in population aiid resources, to be among the first 
to pass an ordinance of secession with such great unanimity. 



308 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

It was intended also to seize the navy yard and fort at Pensa- 
cola, and an order to that effect had been issued by Governor 
Perry, but before it could be carried into effect Lieutenant 
Slemnier, who was in command of a company of United States 
troops at Barrancas, on the lUth of January removed his gar- 
rison to Fort Pickens, on Santa Rosa Island. To a formal de- 
mand to surrender he replied that he had determined to hold 
the fort as long as he was able to do so. On the last of January 
the Confederate forces at Pensacola navy yard numbered about 
seventeen hundred. By an agreement with the government, a 
statu quo arrangement was made, and Fort Pickens was not re- 
inforced until April the l-tth, when considerable reinforce- 
ments were landed from the Brooklyn man-of-war. Previous 
to that time it could easily have been taken. Troo])s had also 
been added to the Confederate forces holding Fort Barrancas 
and the navy yard, so that by May General Bragg, who took 
command on March 11th, had about five thousand men. Col. 
Harvey Brown had succeeded to the command at Fort Pickens. 
No active operations took place on either side for several 
months. Batteries were erected and guns mounted, and Gen- 
eral Bragg made his camp a school of instruction. Fort Clinch, 
at Fernandina, was occupied by a regiment of Confederate 
troops. The forces at Pensacola had now been confronting 
each other since January. 

On the 11th of September a naval boat expedition was fitted 
out under Lieut. J. H. Russell, of the flagship Colorado, and 
made a night attack upon the navy yard, burning the small 
armed schooner Judah and spiking the guns of the only bat- 
tery there, with a loss of only three killed and eight wounded. 
This was followed on October 9th by an expedition of Con- 
federate troops, under the command of Gen. E. H. Anderson, 
against the camp of the Union forces on Santa Rosa Island. 
The attack was only partially successful, and the losses on 
either side were about the same. 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 209 

On ISrovembcr 24th the United States steamers Niagara and 
Eichmond, aided by the guns at Fort Pickens and five shore 
batteries, commenced a bombardment of the Confederate 
lines, in order to retaliate for the attack on the Union camps. 
The l)ombardment was kept up for two days, and five thousand 
shot were thrown from the Federal batteries. About one 
thousand shot were returned from the Confederate batteries. 
The loss on the Union side was one killed and six wounded ; 
on the Confederate side, six killed by the falling in of a maga- 
zine and twenty-one were wounded ; two churches were burned, 
also twQpty laborers' cottages, and one public building in the 
navy yard — a very harndess duel, without result except great ex- 
penditure of ammunition needlessly. It had, perhaps, the good 
effect of accustoming the troops to the sound of cannon and 
to the comparatively harmless character of such a bondjard- 
ment. On the 1st of January, 1862, General Bragg turned 
over the command of the troops at Pensacola to General Sam 
Jones. 

The troops then in camp numbered eight thousand, and 
about the middle of February four regiments were sent to 
Tennessee. On the 2d of March, 1862, the Confederate troops, 
under Col. E. Hopkins, were withdraAvn from Fernandina. 
General Dupont left Port Royal on the 28th of February with 
a large fleet of naval vessels, gun-boats, and transports, carry- 
ing a brigade of United States troops for a descent upon the 
east coast of Florida. The larger vessels sailed to the mouth 
of the St. Mary's River, and the gun-boats, etc., came in at St. 
Andrew's Sound and followed the inland passage. On coming 
within view of old Fernandina a white flag was displayed, and, 
on reaching new Fernandina, a few rifle-shots were fired from 
the bushes on shore. When the gun-boats reached Fernandina, 
the steamboat Darlington, loaded with refugees, had left for 
Nassau Sound, and a railroad train of flat cars was making its 
way to the railway bridge across to the mainland. Two citizens 
14 



310 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

on the train were killed by shots from the gun-boats, and the 
Darlington was captured at the drawbridge. Fernandina re- 
mained in possession of the Union forces until the close of the 
war. On the 16th of March Jacksonville was occupied by the 
Federal forces. Previous to their arrival a battalion of Con- 
federate troops, numbering four hundred, under Col. C. F. 
Hopkins, had come in, and, under orders that they had re- 
ceived, burned the saw-mills and foundry. The Judson House, 
a fine hotel, was also burned by them. Gen. T. W. Sherman 
and staff arrived at Jacksonville on the 19tli of March, when a 
meeting of loyal citizens was held, and steps were taken to se- 
cure cooperation of other counties in restoring Florida to the 
Union. Some little skirmishing took place between the Union 
troops and Confederates at the outposts ; but on April 8tli the 
town was evacuated by the Federal forces and many buildings 
were burned — set fire to, it is claimed, by the soldiers or 
hangers-on of the Federal forces. 

St. Augustine was surrendered to Commodore Eogers with- 
out resistance, and on the 11th of March was garrisoned by 
Federal troops and remained in possession of the Union forces 
until the close of the war. 

An expedition was sent to New Smyrna on the Penguin gun- 
boat, under Lieutenant Budd and Acting Master S. W. Mather, 
and, having gone up the inlet in boats, was fired upon by Con- 
federate troops under Captain Strain and Lieutenant Cham- 
bers. Lieutenant Budd and Acting Master Mather and six 
seamen were killed. Six men were wounded and three ca])- 
tured. On the 9th of May, 1862, Pensacola was evacuated by 
the Confederate forces, all stores were removed, and the prin- 
cipal lumber mills in the neighborhood were burned. On the 
same day General Hunter ordered Colonel Bell, commanding at 
St. Augustine, " to at once drive out of your lines all persons, 
without reference to sex, who have not taken and still refuse 
to take the oath of allegiance." A similar order was made by 



JIISTORr OF FLORIDA 211 

Brigadier-General Saxtoii in September, 1862, directing the 
])rovost-marshal to expel all such people as should refuse to 
take the oath of allegiance. A large number of women and 
cliildrcn were put on board the steamer Burnside, and, off the 
bar of the St. John's Eiver, were met by Gen. A. H. Terry, 
who, under the direction of General Brannon, countermanded 
the order of General Saxton, and had the Burnside return to 
St. Augustine with the expelled people. On May 20th Captain 
H. T. Blocker attacked a boat from a blockading vessel in the 
Appalachicola River and killed or wounded seventeen of the 
twenty-one on board. On the 30th of June a Federal gun-boat 
attacked the Confederate battery at Tampa Bay, held by Cap- 
tain Pearson, and, after several hours' cannonading, withdrew 
with but little damage to either side. A battery erected on the 
St. John's River, at St. John's Bluff, mounting several heavy 
guns, was placed under command of Col. C. F. Hopkins. A 
heavy force of United States gun-boats and troops was brought 
to reduce this Avork. The troops were landed and, flanking 
the position, rendered it untenable, and it was abandoned, the 
Confederate force withdrawing. General Brannon reoccu- 
pied Jacksonville for a few days in October, 1862, and again 
evacuated that place on the 9th of October, taking with him 
twenty-seven negroes and several refugees to Hilton Head. 
Gen. Joseph Finegan was in command in Florida, with a nom- 
inal force of about seventeen hundred men, mostly cavalry, 
but no hostile movements of any consequence were made from 
either side. About five hundred people were engaged in salt- 
boiling, principally on the Gulf coast in Middle and West 
Florida. 

In January, 1863, Colonel Higginson, with a regiment of 
South Carolina colored troops, went up the St. Mary's River 
and came back to Fernandina without accomplishing any- 
thing of note, but was much impressed with his colored sol- 
diers' eagerness for fighting. Gen. Rufus Saxton had become 



212 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

possessed with the idea that a great deal coiikl he done hy secur- 
ing the negroes in Florida and arming them in the United 
States service. He obtained Mr. Lincoln's indorsement of this 
plan, and proposed to reoccupy Jacksonville and make it an 
asylum for negroes in Florida and elsewhere. He was author- 
ized to enlist live thousand negroes for laborers' duty and five 
thousand for military service. 

On March 10, 1863, an expedition consisting of colored 
troops, under Colonel Higginson and Colonel Montgomery, 
took possession of Jacksonville. General Saxton reported that 
the negroes were collecting from all quarters, but he was ap- 
prehensive of being attacked by the Confederate forces. Gen- 
eral Finegan closely surrounded the town, and some severe 
skirmishes took place, in one of which Surgeon Merideth, of the 
Confederate force, was killed. General Saxton was reinforced, 
and on the 25th of March moved out against the Confederates, 
but, after a sharp skirmish, retired. Colonel Montgomery 
went up to Palatka, raiding the plantations along the river and 
carrying off the negroes. In the act of landing at Palatka his 
troops were fired upon with fatal effect by Confederate troops 
under Captain Dickison, and he immediately left and returned 
to Jacksonville. 

On the 27th of March, 1863, after seventeen days' occupa- 
tion. General Hunter ordered Jacksonville to be again evacu- 
ated, thus breaking up General Saxton's plans for recovering 
Florida. In April a naval expedition scoured the west coast 
between Cedar Key and Tampa Bay for small blockade runners. 
An attack was made on Bayport, where a sloop loaded with corn 
was burned by the Federal force and a large schooner loaded 
with cotton burned by the Confederates themselves to avoid 
its capture. There was a brisk engagement, but no great- 
loss on either side. During the summer, matters remained 
very quiet. In October two gun-boats came into Tampa Bay 
and destroyed the steamer Scottish Chief and sloop Dale, 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 213 

losing on their retreat three killed, ten wounded, and three 
prisoners. 

The military operations in Florida prior to 1864, with the 
exception of the operations at Pensacola in 1861, had been 
comparatively unimportant. Fernandina, St. Augustine, Key 
West, and Pensacola were continuously occupied by the Federal 
garrisons, which seldom came beyond their precincts. Most of 
the Florida troops were in Virginia or the West, and only a 
few hundred, in movable detachments, remained to guard the 
interior of the State. The Confederate armies were receiving 
large supplies of beef and salt from Florida. This had become 
known to the commanders of the Federal troops, and it was 
deemed very important to cut off this source of supply. The 
government at Washington, moreover, had been led to believe 
that there was a strong Union sentiment in Florida, which 
would declare itself if sufficient force was thrown into the 
State. President Lincoln sent down Major Hay as a special 
agent to further this end, with Ijlanks and papers to be used 
in the process of restoring the State to the I'nion. General 
Gillmore, who was in command of the department in the South, 
entertained similar views. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 

The attempted military occupation of northern Florida by General 
Seymour — Battle of Olustee — Defeat of Seymour — Federal attack on 
Gainesville and capture of Union troops by Dickison — Battle of 
Natural Bridge — Florida troops in Virginia and Tennessee. 

A.D. 1864-1865 

General Gillmore's plans were to occupy Florida in force 
in order to procure an outlet for cotton, lumber, turpentine, 
etc., to cut off the Confederate sources of commissaries' supplies, 
to obtain recruits for colored regiments, and to inaugurate 
measures for the restoration of Florida to the Union. Orders 
were given to Brig.-Gen. Truman Seymour, on the 14th of Feb- 
ruary, 1864, to embark several regiments of troops (part of 
whom were colored), a mounted brigade, and several batteries 
from Hilton Head for Florida. These troops landed at Jack- 
sonville on the 7th of February. On the night of the 8th an 
advance was made by a mounted force under Col. Guy Henry, 
which passed Camp Finegan, seven miles west of Jacksonville, 
surprised and captured a battery three miles west 'of that place 
at midnight, and reached Baldwin on the morning of the 9th, 
capturing en route five guns and several wagons and mules at 
Picketts, eleven miles west of Jacksonville. Colonel Henry 
moved on to Barbers, on the south prong of the St. Mary's, 
where he encountered and had a brisk engagement with Confed- 
erate cavalry under Major Harrison, who retired before them, 
and he then reached Sanderson, forty miles west of Jacksonville. 

General Finegan had removed all his stores from this point 
except fifteen hundred bushels of corn, which he was forced to 
destroy for want of means of transportation. From San- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 215 

derson the mounted force under Colonel Henry pushed on to 
within three miles of Lake City, where General Finegan had 
massed the forces he had been able to gather and had con- 
structed some, defensive works. Colonel Henry's force reached 
tliis point about 10 a.m. Eegarding the opposing force as too 
numerous to attack in their entrenchments, although, in fact, a 
comparatively w'eak force, Colonel Henry marched back to 
Sanderson and thence to Barbers without making any attack. 

On the 13th of March a mounted force made a raid from 
Sanderson to Gainesville, reaching there the next day, captur- 
ing cotton, sugar, etc., on the way. While there they made a 
temporary breastwork of cotton bales piled across the street, 
and repulsed an attack from two companies of Confederate 
cavalry. Burning the captured stores, the Union troops left 
ihe next da}^, and rejoined General Seymour on the 17th. En- 
countering so far but little opposition, and meeting with some 
success. General Seymour was much elated. He had written 
previously to General Gillmore that an attack on Lake City was 
not advisable, and that what had been said of the desire of the 
Floridians to come back into the Union was a delusion, and 
advised falling back upon Jacksonville. Yet soon after he was 
so much encouraged by these tW'O raids that he decided to make 
a forward movement. On the morning of the 20th of Febru- 
ary he moved out from Barbers with all his disposable force, 
stated by him officially to be five thousand five hundred men 
and sixteen guns, with the expectation of meeting the Con- 
federate force, reported to be four to five thousand strong, at 
Lake City. Passing Sanderson, eight miles on his march, he 
was informed that he would meet the enemy in force, fifteen 
thousand strong, some miles east of Lake City, but he dis- 
credited the information. About tw^o o'clock in the afternoon 
of the 20th the advance reported a small body of Confederate 
cavalry in front, falling slowly back. It was soon reported that 
it Avas suspected that the entire Confederate force was directly 



216 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

in front. A halt was called and a battery placed in position 
to shell the woods in his front, which was quickly replied to 
by a Confederate battery, three solid shot striking near the 
general and his staff. All the guns were at once placed in 
battery, skirmishers were thrown out, the infantry formed in 
line of battle. The opi)osing line soon came in view. The 
ground was favorable for the movement of troops, being firm 
and even, and, although covered with pine forest, was devoid 
of underbrush. 

The battle commenced in earnest with a heavy fire from the 
Confederate lines. A regiment of New Hami5shire troops, 
armed with Spencer rifles, found the fire too heavy, and soon 
broke in confusion. A colored regiment coming under fire, 
having its colonel and major killed, soon broke and retreated. 
The Confederate troops pressed forward to meet fresh Union 
troops, by whom they were held in check, and the deadly strug- 
gle continued for three hours, until at dusk, being hard pressed 
by the Confederates, the Union troops rapidly fell back in dis- 
order towards Sanderson, and afterwards to Baldwin. General 
Finegan, for several days prior to the engagement, had only 
about two thousand men, but was reinforced by a force of reg- 
ulars from Georgia shortly before the battle, which had been 
ordered to his relief by General Beauregard, and had reached 
him by forced marches. His whole force was then forty-six 
hundred men and twelve guns. He had thrown up entrench- 
ments at Ohistee in a very strong position, flanked by two 
ponds and a cypress swamp, and had expected to make the fight 
there, but, upon information of the advance of General Sey- 
mour, he sent out a force of cavalry and part of the Georgia 
troops to skirmish with the enemy, who were then about three 
miles east of Olustee. The skirmish developed into a battle 
in which all the forces were engaged as they came up. Tlie 
Georgia regiments under Generals Colquitt and Harrison, 
heroes in many an engagement, fought with steadiness and dis- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 317 

cretion, remaining for some time steady under fire during a 
critical period of tlie battle while awaiting a supply of ammuni- 
tion. General Seymour's forces numbered nearly one thou- 
sand more than the Confederates. His men as a whole fought 
l)ravely, and, after marching fourteen miles, fought for three 
hours before they retreated. Their batteries were well served, 
but, losing many men and horses, five guns were left on the 
field and sixteen hundred stands of arms. A vigorous pursuit 
of cavalry would have probably captured a large number of the 
routed men. The losses, as officially reported, were, on the 
Federal side, eighteen hundred and sixty-one killed, wounded, 
and missing, and on the Confederate nine hundred and forty 
killed and wounded. It was one of the best fought and most 
.sanguinary battles of the Civil War. The defeat at Olustee 
put an end to President Lincoln's expectations of restoring 
Florida to the Union, and to General Gillmore's and General 
Seymour's plans for separating her from the rest of the Con- 
federacy. The Union troops retired to Jacksonville, and both 
sides were reinforced. Some minor operations in other parts 
of the State succeeded the battle of Olustee. A detachment 
from Point Washington on the 8th of February surprised and 
captured Captain Floyd's company of Confederate volunteers 
on the Choctawhatchee. On their return next day the Union 
troops were attacked by Confederate cavalry, and their prison- 
ers were recaptured. 

Palatka was occupied on March 10th by Colonel Barton. 
On April 1st the United States transport Maple Leaf was blown 
up and sunk by a Confederate torpedo off Mandarin Point, on 
St. John's River, and what was left above water was burned. 
Some skirmishing took place around Palatka of no great im- 
portance. An expedition was to have gone out from Palatka 
in April to make a raid in Marion County, but Palatka was or- 
dered evacuated on the 12th of April, and a large part of the 
Union troops were withdrawn from East Florida. Shortly 



218 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

afterwards a considerable portion of the Confederate forces in 
Florida were sent to reinforce the armies in Virginia and Ten- 
nessee. A skirmish took place a few miles from Barrancas, in 
which an officer and a few men from the Seventh Alabama were 
captured. On April 16th the United States transport Hunter 
was blown up and destroyed by a torpedo near the Maple Leaf 
in St. John's Eiver. Tampa was occupied by a detachment of 
Union troops on May Gth, and the Confederate guns and bat- 
tery disabled. The United States transport Harriet A. Weed 
was blown up and sunk by a torpedo near Cedar Creek on the 
9th of May, and the crew drowned. On May 9th Capt. J. J. 
Dickison, of the Florida cavalry, captured fifty-six men and 
two officers at Welaka and Saunders, on the St. John's. On 
the 23d of May he planted a section of artillery on the west 
bank of the St. John's, near Horse Landing, and captured the 
United States gun-boat Columbian, with seven officers, nine 
seamen, and forty-seven colored soldiers. A number were 
killed during the engagement and twenty-five drowned. Cap- 
tain Childs, with a L^nion force from Fort Myers, landed at Bay- 
port and captured some cotton and negroes. Major Weeks, 
with a United States force from Cedar Key, landed at St. An- 
drew's Bay, and caj^tured cotton and burned bridges. 

General Ashboth moved out of Pensacola on the 21st of 
July to attack Fort Hodgson, fifteen miles from Pensacola, 
which, after half an hour's engagement, was evacuated by the 
Confederates. On August 15th a raiding party left Baldwin, 
commanded by Colonel Harris, of Seventy-fifth of Ohio, with a 
hundred and thirty-eight men of that regiment, and ninety 
men of Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry, with one piece of artil- 
lery and ten men, followed the line of the railroad to Waldo, 
and thence by the public road east of Newnan's Lake to Gaines- 
ville. Immediately after their arrival there they were at- 
tacked by a force of cavalry under Captain Dickison, with one 
piece of artillery, and completely routed. Colonel Harris 




CAPT. J. J. DICKISON, THE MARION OF FLORIDA 



220 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

escaped with less than forty men to Magnolia. He had gathered 
on his march two hundred negroes, forty mules, wagons, and 
other plunder, all of which was captured by Captain Dickison, 
whose whole force numbered one hundred and seventy-five, 
while that of Colonel Harris was three hundred and five. Cap- 
tain Dickison's loss was but two killed and four wounded. 

This action added greatly to the reputation of Captain Dicki- 
son, and earned for him the name of " the Marion of Florida." 
In September General Ashboth made a raid from Pensacola on 
Marianna, capturing many citizens, much private property, 
and carrying off six hundred negroes. On October 24th Cap- 
tain Dickison, in a skirmish near Magnolia, on the St. John's, 
captured twenty-three prisoners and thirty-two horses, ten 
Union soldiers being killed in the engagement. Everything 
remained in comparative quiet during the months of Novem- 
ber and December, 1864. On February 13, 1865, two Federal 
regiments advanced from Cedar Key up the Florida Eailroad 
to the neighborhood of Levyville. Captain Dickison gathered 
a force of about one hundred and fifty men to meet them, when 
the Union troops fell back to Station Number Four, where 
Dickison attacked them. Alter four hours' fighting, at the end 
of which the Confederates had exhausted their ammunition, 
the Union troops retreated, having sustained a loss of seventy 
killed and wounded. Dickison had six killed and woimded. 

Space will not permit following the movements of the Flor- 
ida troops in the armies of the Confederacy beyond the limits 
of the State during the four years of conflict. On every field 
they fought gallantly and well. There were organized in 
Florida twelve regiments of infantry, two regiments and one 
battalion of cavalry, and four light batteries. Most of the regi- 
ments left Florida in 1862 for the armies of Tennessee and Vir- 
ginia. The First Florida Eegiment was in the battle of Shiloh 
in April, 1862 ; the First and Third Eegiments were in the 
battle of Murfreesboro, and lost heavily ; the First, Third, 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 221 

and roiirtli wore engaged at Jackson, Miss., and captured two 
lumdred prisoners and the colors of the Twenty-eighth, Forty- 
first, and Fifty-third Illinois, and were in almost every subse- 
(|iient engagement of the army of Tennessee. The Second 
Florida Regiment went to Virginia, and was in all the penin- 
sular engagements, losing its gallant colonel, George T. Ward, 
at Williamsburg, and lost heavily in officers and men during 
the seven days' battle around Richmond, anumg whom was 
Major George W. Call. This regiment was also in the terrible 
battles of Gettysburg and Sharpsburg. The Fourth Regiment 
was attached to the army of Tennessee, and shared in its vic- 
tories and losses. The Third Regiment was attached to the 
ai'my of Virginia, and bore its share at Gettysburg and Sharps- 
burg. The Sixtli Regiment was with the army of Tennessee, 
and was engaged at Chickanuiuga, Missionary Ridge, etc. The 
Seventh Regiment was with the army of Tennessee, and in the 
battles of Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, and other engage- 
ments. The Eighth Regiment was in the army of Virginia, 
and engaged at Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and elsewhere. 
The First Regiment of Florida Cavalry rendered good service 
with the army of Tennessee, as did also Martin's Battery. The 
other organizations and batteries served in Florida and Georgia. 

Florida was well represented in the higher ranks of the Con- 
federate army : Gen. E. Kirby-Smith, a full general ; W. W. 
Loring, a major-general, both distinguished officers of the old 
army, and ]\I. L. Smith, J. Patton Anderson, Joseph Finegan, 
J. J. Finley, W. G. M. Davis, E. A. Perry, and J. J. Dickison 
held commissions as brigadier-generals. 

Exempts, schooll)oys, invalids, and clergy did occasional ser- 
vice when needed. The cattle, the salt, the provisions, and 
crops of Florida were most important in sustaining the armies 
in the field from the beginning to the end of the war. Florida, 
in proportion to its po])ulation, furnished more troops to the 
Confederacy than any other State. 



CHAPTER XXXIV 

After the war — liecoustructioii — ConsLiLutioual couveiitiozi — New consti- 
tution adopted — State government set aside — Florida part of a mili- 
tary district — A newer constitution — Political events. 

A.D. 1865-1875 

Governor John Milton died on April 1, 18G5, and Lieut.- 
Gov. A. K. Allison assumed the duties of governor, but was 
very soon, together with Senator Yulee, consigned to Fort 
Pulaski, Ga., as prisoner of State, and held in confinement for a 
twelvemonth. Senator Stephen E. Mallory, who had held the 
office of secretary of the navy under the Confederate govern- 
ment, was imprisoned some time in Fort Lafayette, New York 
harbor. 

The Confederate forces in Florida made a formal surrender 
to General McCook on May 20, 1865. 

Judge William Marvin was appointed by President Johnson 
provisional governor of Florida in July, 1865, with authority to 
call a constitutional convention. On the 3d of August he is- 
sued a call for an election, to be held October 10th, of delegates 
to a constitutional convention, to be held October 35tli. An 
amnesty oath was required as a qualification to vote at such elec- 
tion. This oath was subscribed by seven thousand and forty- 
two persons. Fifty-six delegates were chosen, and the conven- 
tion met at Tallahassee October 25, 1865. The ordinance of 
secession was repealed and a new constitution adopted. The 
new constitution provided for an election to be held on Novem- 
ber 20, 1865, for governor, cabinet officers, judges, legislature, 
county officers, and members of Congress. The whole vote 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 223 

cast at this election was less thau four thousand. David S. 
Walker was elected governor and Ferdinand McLeod repre- 
sentative in Congress. 

The Legislature met on December 20, 18G5. Provisional 
Governor Marvin retired, and D. S. Walker was inaugurated 
governor. Wilkinson Call and William Marvin were chosen 
as United States senators. These gentlemen, however, were 
not admitted to their seats in the Senate. 

The thirteenth amendment to the Constitution was ratified 
on December 28th, only two votes being cast in the negative. 

In February, 1866, Congress enlarged the functions of the 
Freedmen's Bureau, and it became the most prominent agency 
of government in Florida, and, through its organization and 
subordinate officers, largely controlled local affairs throughout 
the State. 

The year 1866 witnessed the restoration of the functions of 
the State government and a resuscitation of the various em- 
ployments of its citizens. 

The Legislature again met in December, 1866. In the mean 
time the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution of the 
United States had passed Congress, and was proposed to the 
Legislatures for ratification. It virtually disfranchised the 
most intelligent classes of the South. The having held office of 
any kind, national or State, disqualified from voting or holding 
any office in the State. For these reasons Governor Walker 
advised the rejection of the fourteenth amendment, and the 
Legislature refused its ratification. 

The reconstruction law passed by Congress in March, 1867, 
over the President's veto^ set off the Southern States into five 
military districts, over each of which the President was author- 
ized to place an army officer with supreme control. It was 
provided tliat a registration should be made of the citizens 
residing in each county in each State, and, before registration, 
each applicant was required to make oath that he had not 



224 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

taken an oath as a military or civil officer of the United States, 
or of any State, or given aid or comfort to the enemies of the 
United States. After such registration an election should he 
held by the qualified voters of members of a constitutional 
convention. 

Florida was made a part of the Third Military District, 
under command of Gen. John T. Pope, who was succeeded by 
Gen. G. C. Meade, with Gen. John T. Sprague commanding in 
Florida. 

The registration lists showed 11,148 white voters and 15,434 
colored, but only 14,50,3 votes in all were cast, nearly all for a 
convention. 

Forty-five members were elected to the convention. On the 
20th of January, 18()8, the day apj^ointed for the meeting of 
the convention at Tallahassee, twenty of the delegates met and 
elected a president and secretary. Other delegates afterwards 
reported, and on the 21st of Felu'uary eighteen of the dele- 
gates withdrew from the convention and went to Monticello, 
leaving the body without a quorum. The remaining members 
continued in session, framed a constitution and adopted it, and 
sent it to General Meade for approval, and took a recess. 

The seceders came up at midnight from Monticello, and by a 
coup de main took possession of the hall of the House of Rep- 
resentatives, in which the convention had been holding its 
session, and organized as a convention, having obtained enough 
members to form a quorum. Several members of the opposing 
section were ousted, and others seatecL The opposing section, 
known as the Richard faction, appealed to General Meade, who 
came to Florida, and directed both factions to come together 
and take seats in the convention, that both presiding officers 
resign, and General Sprague take the chair and reorganize the 
convention, which was done accordingly — a curious chapter 
of constitution-making. The convention then proceeded to 
adopt a constitution, known as the constitution of 1868. By 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 225 

this constitution suffrage was to be universal. Judges and all 
State officers were to be appointed by the governor, with the ad- 
vice and consent of the Senate. Upon a popular vote the con- 
stitution was ratified by a nuijority of five thousand. 

Harrison Eeed, who had come to Florida after the war, hold- 
ing a government ofhce, was elected governor, his opponent be- 
ing George W. Scott. A Legislature consisting of twenty-f out- 
senators and fifty-three representatives was elected, of whom a 
large majority were Eepublicans and a considerable number 
negroes. 

It was no small trial to the white people of Florida to find 
themselves disfranchised to a large extent and excluded from 
the halls of legislation and official positions, while the places 
they had been accustomed to occupy were filled with their 
former servants or new-comers, but the situation was accepted 
for the most part in a patient and manly way. 

Ignoring the action of the preceding Legislature, the newly 
elected Legislature ratified iKitli the thirteenth and fourteenth 
amendments to the Constitution of the United States, and the 
election of senators previously made was disregarded. By the 
act of Congress of June 25, 1808, Florida was readmitted to 
representation in C*ongress, and the newly elected State officers 
were installed on July 4, 1808. 

Of the white Eepublicans prominent in politics and holding 
office, the larger nund)er had come to Florida in some military 
capacity during the Civil AVar or in some civil capacity at its 
close. They soon divided into two factions — the one support- 
ing and the other opposing Governor Reed. Attempts were 
made at three different times by Governor Reed's opponents to 
impeach him for malfeasance in office, but failed in the attempt. 

The Legislature, on June L5, 18(58, ratified the fifteenth 

amendment to the C*onstitution of the United States, and 

elected T. W. Osborn and Abijah Gilbert as senators. Osl)orn 

was chief of the Freedmen's Bureau, and Gilbert, a well-to-do 

15 



326 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

resident of St. iVugustine, recently came to the State. Charles 
M. Hamilton, an agent of the Freedmen's Bureau, was electeil 
to the House of Eepresentatives. Presidential electors were 
elected hy the Legislature, and not by the people, who cast the 
vote of Florida for Gen. U. S. Grant, this being the only in- 
stance in the history of the State of presidential electors being 
chosen l)y the Legislature. In the mean time the new State 
constitution having provided for all the local offices being 
filled by appointment of the governor, there was a general 
scramble for such appointments. Governor Eeed probably did 
as well as could be expected in view of the situation. As a 
rule, the offices were filled by recent comers upon the recom- 
mendation of political bosses. Some were residents of the 
State and men of good standing. 

An era of large expenditures and scrip issue became preva- 
lent in the State, and in all the counties taxes were assessed 
higher than ever before, and tax sales were numerous. State 
and county scrip, for the payment of which there was not suf- 
ficient funds in the treasury, depreciated at one time to twenty- 
five per cent, of its face value. The general financial condition 
of the State was very unsatisfactory. 

In 1870 Josiah T. Walls, an intelligent colored citizen of 
Alachua County, was nominated as the Eepublican candidate 
for Congress, being opposed by S. L. Niblack as the Democratic 
candidate. The State canvassers threw out several counties and 
gave Walls the certificate of election, Init he was unseated by 
Congress, and Niblack declared entitled to the seat. W. D. 
Bloxham, who was a candidate for lieutenant-governor, and 
who had been counted out, was, by a decision of the supreme 
court of the State, given that office. 

In 1873 Ossian B. Hart was elected governor. As a result of 
the increased population shown by the census of 1870, Florida 
had become entitled to two congressional districts. Josiali T. 
Walls, the colored Eepublican candidate, was elected in 1872 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 227 

to represent the second district, and W. J. Purman the first. 
Governor Hart, who had hjn^r been in bad health, died in Jan- 
uary, 1874, and was succeeded by Lieut.-CTOV. M. L. Stearns. 

At the session of the Legishiture in January, 1873, an effort 
was inade on the part of the State of xVhibania to obtain a 
cession to that State of all that part of Florida lying west of 
tlic Appahichicola Kiver, the sum of one million dollars to l)e 
paid to tlie State of Florida for the cession. The Legislature of 
Florida entertained the proposition so far as to appoint three 
commissioners, W. J. Purman, C. E. Dyke, and M. H. ]\Ioragne, 
W'ho came to terms of agreement with the Alabama commis- 
sioners, but the question was required to be submitted to vote in 
the counties interested, and also to be ratified by the Legisla- 
ture. The election was never held, and the matter dropped. 
Whether it could have l)cen consummated without the consent 
of Congress is prol)lematical. 

A person by the name of King, claiming to be a Seminole, 
but regarded as only a simulated one, came to Tallahassee and 
asked to be received as a representative of the Seminoles, but 
tlie Legislature declined to seat him. It is noteworthy that in 
this session of the Legislature about one-half of the members 
were negroes. In the succeeding Legislature of 1875 parties 
were nearly equally divided, and Charles AV. Jones, a Demo- 
cratic member of the Legislature from Escambia County, was 
elected senator. 



CHAPTEE XXXV 

End of the reconstruction period — Florida's presidential vote hangs in the 
balance — Rapid increase in the construction of railroads — Increase of 
population. 

A.D. 1 875-1 890 

The Republican party, mainl}^ by the aid of the colored vote, 
had now been in power in the State since 18G8. In the fall 
election of 1876 the vote was very close, but finally resulted in 
the election of the Democratic candidate for governor, George 
F. Drew. The Tilden electors by the returns were elected by a 
majority of ninety-seven, but tlie Board of State Canvassers, 
through rejection of certain counties and precincts, gave the 
Hayes electors a majority of nine hundred and twenty-eight. 

The election was so close in the United States that the four 
votes of Florida were necessary to decide, and the contest over 
the vote of Florida was transferred to Washington, where the 
electoral commissioners, l)y a vote of eight to seven, awarded 
the electoral vote of Florida to Mr. Hayes. 

Governor Drew's administration was welcomed by the peo- 
ple of Florida as a return to home rule. The finances of the 
State at once improved. The State bonds rose from sixty-five 
per cent, to par, taxes were lowered, and a general feeling of re- 
lief from years of factional contests and divisions was felt. 

The colored people had become tired of being used as instru- 
ments to advance to power people who had no sympathy with 
them, and were indeed glad to see their old friends and former 
masters placed in a better condition. 

The population of Florida, as shown l)y the census of 1880, 
was 369,493, of whom 142,605 were white and 126,696 colored, 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 229 

bof^idos ISO Indians. Tlic assepsed vahiation of taxable prop- 
erty was thirty-one millions of dollars. 

At the fall election held in 1880 William D. Bloxham was 
elected governor. During Governor Bloxham's administration 
the various claims against the internal improvement fund of 
the State were settled by a sale of four million acres of swamp 
and overflowed lands to Hamilton Disston, of Pennsylvania, 
for the sum of one million of dollars. At the session of the 
Legislature in 1881 numerous charters were granted to railroad 
companies, accompanied with grants of lands, viz., the East 
Florida Eailroad Company, from Jacksonville to the St. Mary's 
Eiver, ])eing part of the Savannah, Florida, and Western sys- 
tem ; the Gainesville, Ocala, and Charlotte Harbor ; the Green 
Cove Springs and Melrose Company ; the Jacksonville, St. Au- 
gustine, and Halifax ; Monticello and Georgia ; Orange Ridge, 
Deland, and Atlantic ; Palatka and Indian River. The most 
important road chartered was the Pensacola and Atlantic, from 
I'ensacola to Chattahoochee, to which a land grant of twenty 
thousand acres per mile was made. The Silver Springs, Ocala, 
and Gulf ; St. John's and Lake Eustis ; Fernandina and Jack- 
sonville, and others, were constructed. Up to 1884: one thou- 
sand and forty-five miles of railroad had been built, a very 
great achievement, considering the population of the State and 
the strictly local character of the roads. With the construc- 
tion of railroads the popiilation advanced rapidly, and an es- 
pecial impetus was given in the peninsular portion of the State 
to the planting out of orange groves. From a comparatively 
small product previously, the crop of oranges in 1885 reached 
nine hundred thousand boxes, and many settlers and investors 
were induced to engage in this alluring industry. 

Notwithstanding a severe freeze on the 12th of January, 
1880, which destroyed all the fruit on the trees and to some ex- 
tent injured the trees themselves, the ensuing crops grew larger 
every year. 



2;J() HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

In 1885 a constitutional convention was called, which met at 
Tallahassee on the 9th day of June. The constitution framed 
by this convention was ratified and went into operation January 
1, 1887. Among other changes, it provided for the election of 
all cabinet officers by the people, and also the judges of the su- 
preme court, but not the Judges of the circuit courts. All the 
county officers, which before were appointed by the governor, 
were to be elected by the people, except county commissioners, 
who were still to be appointed Ijy the governor. The office of 
lieutenant-governor was abolished, and the duties of that office 
vested in the presideut of the State Senate. The Legislature 
was to meet biennially, and limited to sixty days' session. A 
homestead provision of a most liberal nature was incorporated 
in the constitution. The time of meeting of the Legislature 
was changed from January to the first week in April. By an 
oversight this has led to a vacancy in the office of United States 
senator between March 4tli and the day of election of senator by 
the Legislature. 

In the summer of 1888 an epidemic of yellow fever of a mild 
form prevailed in Jacksonville and Fernandina. The deaths 
in Jacksonville were about five hundred in all, and in Fernan- 
dina about forty, being less than ten per cent, in each city of 
the whole number of cases. Measures were at once adopted to 
make any future recurrence of the epidemic unlikely. 

At the fall election of 1888 Francis P. Fleming was elected 
governor. The entire vote of the State was 66,641, of which 
the Cleveland electors received 39,561. 



CHAPTER XXXVI 

Increase ol' population — Building of great hotels — Discovery of phosphate 
deposits — Growth of the orange industry — The destructive freezes of 
1894 and 1895 — Financial condition — Public schools, colleges, and 
seminaries — Statistics of iiopulation. 

• 

A.D. 1890-1898 

By the census of 1890 the popuhition of Florida was shown 
to have increased to 391,422, of whom 224:,9-49 were white and 
1GG,4T5 colored, giving the white population a preponderance 
of sixty thousand over the colored. 

About this period Mr. Henry M. Flagler, Mr. Henry B. 
Plant, and other capitalists expended large sums in building 
magnificent tourists' hotels at St. Augustine, Tampa, and else- 
where, by this means very largely increasing the tourist travel 
during the winter months. The railroads leading to Florida 
increased the facilities and improved the comfort of travel in 
every direction. 

Henry L. Miteliell was elected governor in 1892. At the 
election in 1892 the Cleveland presidential electors received 
30,1-1:3 votes. No Republican presidential ticket was voted 
for, but Weaver, Populist, received 4,8-43 votes. Florida was 
the only one of the United States in which no vote was cast for 
Benjamin Harrison, the Republican nominee for President. 

During the year 1894 the Florida Central and Peninsular 
Railroad was extended to Savannah, Ga., and Columbia, S. C, 
and the St. Augustine and Indian River Railroad to Lake 
Worth, where Mr. Flagler built the Hotel Ponciana, which is 
one of the most extensive and beautiful hotels in this country. 



233 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

Oil the 29tli of December, 1894, a very severe freeze oc- 
curred, affecting nearly every portion of Florida. The tem- 
perature sank to fourteen degrees above zero at Jacksonville 
and nineteen degrees above zero at Ocala, Roekledge, and 
Tampa. All of the ungathered fruit, estimated at over two 
millions of boxes, was frozen on the trees. The young trees 
were generally killed to the ground, and the smaller limbs of 
the older trees killed back. The loss of fruit alone was esti- 
mated at two millions of dollars. In a few weeks the bearing 
trees began to throw out new growth and the sap had generally 
risen in the trees, when, on the 7th of February, 1895, another 
still more destructive freeze came, the temperature falling to 
fifteen degrees above zero, killing to the ground all trees under 
ten years of age, the limbs and in most cases the trunks of all 
the older trees. This extended as far as Manatee and Pease 
Creek, leaving but a small part of the orange district unin- 
jured. The sour trees fared as badly as the sweet trees, and 
one universal scene of devastation overspread the orange-grow- 
ing region of the State, entailing a loss estimated at over 
twenty-five million dollars. In the course of four months 
nearly all the trees sent up new shoots, and, in the course of six 
years from the time they were frozen down, it is anticipated 
that the groves will again be in bearing. Many groves are 
already beginning to bear. 

In 1881 Mr. J. F. LeBarron, C.E., found phosphate pebble 
in Pease Creek, but it attracted no attention at the time, and 
it was not until 1889 that, in sinking a well at Dunellon, in 
Marion County, rock which proved to be jihosphate of a high 
grade was found, and the value of the deposits appreciated. 

Discoveries soon began to be made in other localities, and 
the whole country was being searched for phosphate deposits. 
Companies were formed, lands purchased, and machinery ob- 
tained to put the phosphate deposits in a condition to be 
shipped to the manufacturers of fertilizer. The phosphate belt 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 233 

extends for about two hundred miles along tlic western portion 
of the peninsula, through the counties of Jefferson, Madison, 
Taylor, Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, and Pasco, and in 
the beds of several rivers. The export for 1894—95 is about 
five hundred thousand tons, of the value' of five millions of dol- 
lars, shipped through Fernandina, Brunswick, Savannah, Port 
Tampa, and Punta Gorda. The supply is considered inex- 
haustible for at least a long period. 

The area of timber lands in Florida is very large, and the 
value of timber exports at present exceeds all other products, 
the annual export, by the census of 1890, being placed at 
seventeen million dollars. 

The orange crop of 1893—91: was estimated at five millions of 
boxes, of the value in market of over eight million dollars, and 
vegetable and garden j)roducts of the value of over one million 
dollars, while the field crops, by the census of 1890, were valued 
at about seven million dollars. 

The financial condition of Florida is exceptionally good. Of 
her whole bonded indebtedness of $1,275,000, $357,700 only is 
held l:)y individuals. The remainder belongs to the several 
invested funds of the State. The outstanding bonds command 
a high premium in the market. 

The receipts into the treasury, from all sources, for the year 
ending December 31, 1894, amounted to $692,725 ; the dis- 
bursements, to $572,812.80. The assessed valuation for the 
State for the year 1894 was $104,260,629.91. Total State tax 
of all kinds, $599,828.54, and county tax, $1,053,601.71. The 
rate of taxation for the year 1895 is four and one-quarter mills 
for State tax, and from eight to twelve mills for county tax, 
varying in each county. There were in 1895 2,736 miles of 
main track of railroad in the State. The East Coast Canal is 
designed to open an inland water communication from St. Au- 
gustine to Key Biscayne Bay, and is now near completion. The 
various navigable rivers permeating the State, in connection 



234 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

with the extensive railway system, leave little to be desired in 
tlie way of transportation facilities. The State still owns a 
large body of overflowed lands, principally in the Everglades, 
which may at some future time be reclaimed and made valuable. 

Few States have made more liberal provision for education 
than Florida. Two State seminaries, one at Tallahassee and 
the other at Gainesville, and the Agricultural College, at Lake 
City, give free tuition to residents of the State. An institute 
for the deaf and dumb, at St. Augustine, provides for that un- 
fortunate class. A normal college, located at De Funiak, in 
Walton County, is supported by the State. A State normal 
and industrial college for colored students, located at Talla- 
hassee, is well endowed by the Morrel and State funds, and suit- 
ably equipped for the purpose. The Jasper Normal Institute 
was established in Hamilton County by the citizens of that 
county, and had an enrollment for the year 189-4: of two hun- 
dred and seventy-five students. Several State denominational 
institutions of a high character have been established in Flor- 
ida. The John B. Stetson University, Baptist, at De Land, is 
one of the largest and best equipped of these, by the munifi- 
cence of Mr. John B. Stetson, of Philadelphia. The Kollins 
College, Congregational, at Winter Park, is a well-established 
institution, with ample buildings and considerable means. 
The Florida Conference College, Methodist, at Leesburg, has 
been but recently established, but promises very successful re- 
sults. Other good schools, established under local or denomi- 
national auspices, are to be found in centers of population 
throughout the State. 

The public school system was established by the constitu- 
tion of 18(58, and was organized by C. F. Chase, who succeeded 
in placing the system upon a permanent basis under the act of 
January 30, 1869. The successors of Mr. Chase in that office 
were Eev. Charles Beecher, a brother of Henry Ward Beecher ; 
Jonathan C. Gibbs, a colored man ; W. W. Hicks, W. P. Halsey, 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 235 

E. K. Foster, A. J. Eussel, and the present efficient superin- 
tendent, W. N. Slieats. Mr. Sheats, in his biennial report in 
1895, states that the amount raised by taxation and devoted to 
the support of public schools in 1894 was $647,174.86. The 
value of school property was $548,284.49. The number of 
public schools was 2,404, of which 1,775 were schools for white 
children and 629 for colored. The total enrollment of scholars, 
96,775, of whom 59,503 were white and 37,372 colored. Salary 
paid teacliers, $542,098.06. Number of white teachers, 2,151 ; 
of colored, 772, being one-third of the whole number. It is 
probable that eighty-five per cent, at least of the school tax is 
paid by the white population, which indicates that they bear 
the taxation not only for their own children, but the principal 
portion of the cost of the education of the Colored race in the 
public schools. In Leon County there are twenty-nine white 
schools and thirty-six colored. In Jefferson County there are 
thirty-one white schools and thirty-four colored, and in all the 
counties having a large negro population the schools are fairly 
divided. The school tax throughout the State averages about 
five and one-half mills on the dollar, inclusive of the State one 
mill tax. 

In Septeml)er, 1896, Florida was visited with the severest 
hurricane ever known. Entering the State from the Gulf of 
Mexico near Cedar Keys and the mouth of the Suwanee Eiver, 
it swept across the peninsula in a northeast direction into the 
State of Georgia, reacliing the coast in the vicinity of Bruns- 
wick. The track of the hurricane was nearly forty miles in 
width, taking in the western-northwestern portion of Alachua 
County, along the Suwanee River, and portions of Bradford, 
Baker, and Nassau Counties. The pine forests were prostrated 
in its track like a field of grain, and many millions of feet of 
valuable timber were destroyed, and for a period the public 
roads were rendered impassable. Houses were blown down and 
manv lives lost. 



236 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

At the November election in 189G William D. Bloxliam was 
elected governor, and the vote of the State was given to the 
electors on the William J. Bryan ticket. 

The proximity of Florida to Cnba eansed much interest and 
substantial sympathy to be shown to the insurgents in Cuba, 
who in 1895 began the determined eifort to free the island from 
Spanish rule. Large numbers of Cubans had come into Flor- 
ida, and formed a considerable portion of the population of Key 
West and Tampa, and had settled in considerable numbers in 
other portions of the State. As the contest went on and the 
insurgents gained strength, expeditions were secretly formed 
from time to time in Florida ports, and cargoes of arms and am- 
munition were successfully landed on the coast of Cuba. The 
efforts of the government officials to prevent these infractions 
of the laws of neutrality were generally ineffectual. Small and 
swift steamers darted out at night from unexpected and un- 
guarded localities,and were soon beyond the range of detention. 
One of these, called the Three Friends, acliieved considerable 
fame. The sympathies of the people of the State, as well as of 
other jjarts of the country, sided with the insurgents. The 
harsli methods adopted by the Spanish governors as the war 
went on, still more effected a strong anti-Spanish public senti- 
ment, and the relations between the two countries became 
strained. 

The inhuman policy of General Weyler in huddling the pa- 
cificos, or non-contestants, into the towns without means of 
support, leading to starvation and extreme misery and death, 
awakened the humane feelings of the people of the United 
States. 

Senators and representatives who had visited Cuba made 
vivid statements before Congress of the harrowing scenes they 
had witnessed there, and when the popular mind was greatly 
excited on behalf of the suffering Cubans, the treacherous de- 
struction of the battleship Maine in Havana harbor by a sub- 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 337 

marine iniiie added fuel to the flame and easily led on to 
hostilities. 

Florida naturally became the gathering point for the troops 
called out by tlie President, and Tampa and its vicinity were oc- 
cupied Ijy large bodies of regulars and volunteers. 

The Santiago expedition sailed from Tampa, while Key West 
became the rendezvous of the naval forces. Later on extensive 
camps were established at Jacksonville, Miami, and Fernan- 
dina. Fort Clinch, at Fernandina, was garrisoned and mines 
planted in the harbor. The First Florida Volunteers went 
early in the service, under Colonel Lovell. Major-Gen. Fitz- 
hugli Lee was encamped with the Seventh Corps, awaiting 
orders to proceed to Cuba or Puerto Rico, when the destruction 
of Cervera's fleet and the surrender of Santiago expedited the 
negotiations for peace which resulted in the signing of the 
protocol and suspension of hostilities on the 13th day of August, 
1898. 

The development of Florida has 1)een kept back by its fre- 
quent changes of government, its unprogressive population in 
Spanish times, and it has borne the burden of two long wars 
since it became a part of the United States. Situated in a mild, 
semi-tropical climate, favored by its peninsular formation; its 
lands readily responding to cultivation, wliich may be carried 
through the whole year ; its shores abounding in the harvest of 
the sea, with an a])undant supply of ])ure water near the surface 
and in subterranean reservoirs reached by artesian wells ; well 
supplied with abundant transportation facilities by rail, river, 
and ocean ; with varied and valuable productions belonging to 
both temperate and tropical climes ; possessing vast deposits of 
phosphate to maintain and enrich her own soil and for profit- 
able export to otiier portions of the country and foreign lands ;' 
with an immense supply of the most valuable descriptions of 
timber, Florida promises to become in time one of the most 



238 HISTORY OF FLORIDA 

densely populated and j^r^^jierous States of the American 
Union. 

The following tal)les present statistics of the increase of the 
population of Florida during five years. This was no doubt 
greatly checked by the disastrous freezes of the winter of 
189-1--95, when nearly the whole orange-growing industry of 
the State was wiped out, discouraging its citizens and removing 
tem])orarily one of the strongest attractions for new-comers. 
A table is also added giving the population in 1895 of its prin- 
cipal cities and towns. 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 



CENSUS OF FLORIDA, 1895— POPULATION 



Counties. 



White. 


White. 


In- 


Col. 


Col. 


In- 


Total. 


Total. 


1890. 


1895. 


crease. 


1890. 


1895. 


crease. 


1890. 


1895. 


9,674 


13,639 


3,965 


13,260 


14,.568 


1,308 


22,934 


28,207 


2,588 


2,986 


398 


745 


726 


*19 


3,333 


3,712 


.5,901 


7,142 


1,181 


1,555 


2,357 


802 


7,516 


9,499 


2,890 


3,731 


835 


541 


827 


286 


3,401 


4,.558 


1,132 


2,436 


1,304 


549 


838 


289 


1,681 


3,274 


2.090 


2,618 


528 


304 


1,643 


1,339 


2,394 


4,261 


3,633 


3,723 


90 


1,.521 


1,477 


*44 


5,1.54 


5,200 


6,393 


6,294 


*99 


6,484 


6,641 


1.57 


12,877 


12,935 


T74 


2,148 


1,374 


87 


1,174 


1,087 


861 


3,322 


4,80.5 


6,018 


1,213 


139 


400 


261 


4,944 


6,418 


11,998 


14,871 


2,873 


14,802 


19,895 


5,093 


26,800 


34,766 


11,482 


12,848 


1,.366 


8,706 


9,6.55 


949 


20,188 


22,503 


1,9.50 


2,.344 


394 


1,.358 


2,131 


773 


3,308 


4,475 


4,446 


4,827 


381 


7,448 


8,866 


1,418 


11,894 


13,693 


5,33r 


5,.353 


16 


3,170 


4,638 


1,468 


8,. 507 


9,991 


1,584 


1,826 


242 


892 


1,114 


222 


2,476 


2,940 


12,024 


24,046 


12,022 


2,917 


7,310 


4,.399 


14,941 


31 ,.362 


4,152 


5,774 


l,62i 


184 


458 


274 


4,.336 


6,232 


6,.333 


9,646 


3,313 


11,211 


12,284 


1,073 


17,544 


21,930 


3,.558 


3,276 


*282 


12,199 


11,731 


*568 


15,757 


15,007 


3,447 


3,445 


*2 


239 


338 


99 


3,086 


3,783 


6,190 


6,180 


*10 


1,844 


2,169 


.325 


8,0.34 


8,349 


1,334 


2,084 


750 


80 


102 


22 


1.414 


t2,225 


3,121 


3,347 


226 


14,6.31 


10,250 


1,619 


17,752 


19,.597 


4,457 


5,164 


707 


2,120 


2,370 


241 


6,.580 


7,534 


818 


1,1.51 


.333 


634 


928 


294 


1,4.52 


2,079 


5,556 


5,923 


367 


8,760 


7,737 


*1,023 


14,316 


13,660 


2,714 


3,548 


834 


181 


282 


101 


8,895 


3,830 


9,311 


10,284 


973 


11,485 


11,591 


100 


20,796 


21,875 


12,851 


11,935 


*916 


5,9:^ 


5,232 


703 


18,786 


17,167 


3,9.56 


4,285 


329 


4,3.38 


4,558 


220 


8,294 


8,843 


9,048 


8,624 


*424 


3,536 


3,8.35 


299 


12,584 


12,459 


2,6.57 


2,723 


66 


476 


671 


195 


3,133 


3,394 


.3,873 


4,174 


.301 


376 


523 


147 


4,249 


4,097 


7,121 


9,207 


2,086 


784 


1,776 


992 


7,905 


10,983 


6,408 


6,.550 


142 


4,778 


4,831 


.53 


11,180 


11,381 


5,517 


5,125 


*392 


3,195 


2,.583 


*612 


8,712 


7,708 


5,769 


6,,572 


803 


2,192 


2.342 


150 


7,961 


8,914 


3,865 


3,743 


*122 


1,498 


1,565 


67 


5,.363 


5,308 


.5..581 


6,838 


1,257 


4,943 


5,706 


763 


10,524 


12,544 


1,971 


2,842 


871 


151 


220 


69 


2,122 


3,062 


6,005 


7,340 


1,236 


2,462 


4,240 


1,780 


8,647 


11,480 


1,738 


1,977 


239 


1,379 


1,723 


344 


3,117 


3,700 


4,073 


6,826 


2,753 


743 


1,136 


393 


4,816 


7,962 


5,087 


6,228 


1,141 


1,339 


1,592 


253 


6,426 


7,820 



1-464,639 



* Decrease. 

+ Thirty-nine Indians inchuled in totals. 



240 



HISTORY OF FLORIDA 



3 (^ 



POPULATION OF CITIES AND TOWNS BY THE STATE 
CENSUS OF 1895 

The cities and towns in the table include 142,183 persons in tlie total 
population in the State of 464,639, as follows : 



Name of City or Town Popu- 
AND County. lation. 

Gainesville, Alachua 3,152 

Hawthorn, Alachua 835 

Micanopy, Alachua 597 

Orange Heights, Alachua 400 

Starke, Bradford 721 

Titusville, Brevard 831 

Melbourne, Brevard 300 

Green Cove Springs, Clay 900 

Orange Park, Clay 300 

Inverness, Citrus 400 

Fort White, Columbia 470 

Lake City, Columbia 1,940 

Palm Beach, Dade 300 

Lemon City, Dade 300 

West Palm Beach, Bade 1,614 

Arcadia, De Soto 530 

Avon Park, De Soto 400 

Bowling Green, De Soto 250 

Fort Ogden, De Soto 300 

Punta Gorda, De Soto 760 

Jacksonville, Duval 25,130 

Pensacola, Escambia 14,084 

Appalachicola, Franklin 3,061 

Carrabelle, Franklin 994 

Quincy, Gadsden 902 

Jasper, Hamilton 1,295 

Brooksville, Hernando 608 

Clear Water Harbor, Hillsborough . . 300 

Port Tampa City, Hillsborough 1,111 

St. Petersburg, Hillsborough 300 

Tampa, Hillsborough 15,034 

Tarpon Springs, Hillsborough 562 

West Tampa, Hillsborough 2,815 

Marianna, Jackson 929 

Monticello, Jefferson 953 

Eustis, Lake 563 

Leesburg, Lake 805 

Tavares, Lake 159 

Fort Myers, Lee 725 



Name of City or Town Popu- 

AND County. lation. 

Tallahassee, Leon 3,931 

Cedar Key, Levy 400 

Madison, Madison 755 

Braidentown, Manatee 200 

Manatee, Manatee 280 

Palmetto, Manatee 393 

Anthony, Marion 296 

Citra, Marion 378 

Dunellon, Marion 490 

Marti City, Marion 478 

Ocala, Marion 4,597 

Key West, Monroe 16,502 

Fernandina, Nassau 2,511 

Orlando, Orange 2,993 

Sanford, Orange 1,517 

Kissimmee, Osceola 1,172 

Bartow, Polk 1,931 

Fort Meade, Polk 350 

Crescent City, Putnam 475 

Heights Palatka, Putnam 312 

Palatka, Putnam 828 

St. Augustine, St. John's 4,151 

New Augustine, St. John's 467 

Bay Point, Santa Rosa 200 

Milton, Santa Rosa 1,800 

Woodville, Santa Rosa 200 

Sumterville, Sumter 709 

Wildwood, Sumter 253 

Live Oak, Suwanee 837 

De Land, Volusia 1,609 

Daytona, Volusia 1,435 

Lake Helen, Volusia 286 

New Smyrna, Volusia 500 

Ormond, Volusia 461 

Orange City, Volusia 3.37 

Seville, Volusia 234 

Chipley, Washington 588 

142,183 



3M 



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